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Children's PressLine Asks Young Filmmakers About Media That Matters

Published on July 21, 2005

by Matthew Kunihro and Antonina Zielinska of Children's PressLine

Children's PressLine (CPL) is a Manhattan-based youth media organization that provides children from ages 8 to 18 with hands-on experience in oral journalism and peer advocacy. On May 27th, 2005 two CPL journalists attended MediaRights' "Media In Action Coalition Building Workshop" at the International Center for Tolerance Education in Dumbo, Brooklyn. CPL's Antonina Zielinska (age 16) and Matthew Kunihro (age 10) joined the daylong networking event to talk with young filmmakers about their craft and to interview some of the youth attendees. Here is what some of the participants had to say:

Filmmakers, activists, educators and youth explored ways in which to incorporate film into campaigns for social change at the Media in Action Coalition-Building Workshop on May 27th at the International Center for Tolerance Education in Dumbo.

Joseph Lawler, 20, Co-Producer of All That I Can Be, winner of the the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival's Economic Justice Award: "It's good to be young. A lot of people think they won't get respect 'cause they're too young, but a lot of people want to understand what young people go through. I started making videos when I was 16 or 17. My parents were happy to see I was doing something good instead of wasting my time. A couple of my films have inspired people to take action. One example is All That I Can Be, which is about the military targeting youth. Two people at the Educational Video Center were thinking about joining the military, and after seeing the video, they decided not to."

Antonio Abreu, 21, Co-Producer of All That I Can Be: "Just watching movies inspired me to make movies. The one thing I don't like is that all youth-produced tapes are called 'youth-produced tapes.' I would have preferred not to be called a 'youth filmmaker' but just a 'filmmaker.' All That I Can Be is for anyone who wants to know the side of the story that is not being told by the military. Just recently, it was shown in Vermont. There are five small towns that viewed our tape and then were going to vote to see if the Vermont National Guard was going to Iraq. The fact that they used the film to justify their voting lets me know we're doing the right thing and that our tape is going to be used for positive things."

(left to right) Filmmakers Joseph Lawler, Yana Rafailova and Antonio Abreu at the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Awards Ceremony on May 26th, 2005 at HBO in Manhattan. Their film, All That I Can Be, takes on the issue of military recruitmant.

Sara Reichel, 17, filmmaker, activist and workshop participant: "Youth videos definitely can make a difference. Some of the strongest ones I've seen were from sixth graders. I mean, people are really starting to listen to youth media. Watching people's reactions is one of the best parts about making movies. It's always been my favorite part. I was really excited when I made my first movie with the Global Action Project, a youth media arts organization that has different programs in schools. Its facilitators work with youth to make videos about social issues. We're working on one now about the prison system."

Christopher "Shakademic" Johnson, 18, Co-Writer and Host of Battleground Minnesota, winner of the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Jury Award sponsored by Netflix: "We (at Phillips Communication TeleVision) make public access television shows that air in the Twin City area. Battleground Minnesota is focused on Minnesota politics but it describes politics in general. You can show the video anywhere to anybody because politicians are the same everywhere -- they just have different points of view about issues. We would like our video to reach people, and we will try our best to make a change to as many places as possible."

Glenn Scott, 19, Co-Writer of Battleground Minnesota: "Our movie is about Minnesota politics and the 2004 election. It was a great experience for me. We interviewed important politicians like former U.S. Vice-President Walter Mondale, and we were trying to get teens turning 18 to vote. That is why we named the video after a swing state. A lot of urban Minnesota was known as a battleground state -- they didn't vote a lot, so we decided to make sure they voted, no matter who they voted for. Voting matters to both urban communities and suburban communities."

(left to right) Tim Robbins with hip-hop activists Chris "Shakademic" Johnson and Glenn Scott at the festival Awards Ceremony. Chris and Glenn use music to get young voters to the polls.

John Cooney, 18, Producer and Director of Neglected Sky, winner of the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival Environment Award sponsored by Loreto Bay Company: "I was in a class [at UC-Davis] that talked about global issues, and one of the issues was global warming and climate change. I really started to think about how we all can make a difference. Neglected Sky took about two months to make, about three to four hours a day. I made it animated for a reason -- I wanted to catch younger kids. I also wanted to make it so adults can watch in and enjoy it. I think I'm making some difference. I received an email from a 16-year-old who said, 'I knew nothing about global warming, and I knew nothing about climate change, but now I know so much from your small movie.' When I started, my movies were just awful. My first movie was made two years ago, and it was four seconds long. People give up so easily 'cause they think they can't make it, but I stuck in there, and now I'm just so pleased with my work. You've got to hold onto your dreams."

Following the Media In Action Coalition Building Workshop, reporter Antonina was asked by some of her CPL colleagues to shares her thoughts about the festival and the importance of youth advocacy:

CPL: Why did you volunteer to cover the Media That Matters Film Festival? Antonina: I was very excited to have a serious press experience. Recently, I set a personal goal to convince people that teenagers are not clueless and dumb but are serious and have a lot to offer the community. I knew I would be able to meet other teens that had a similar passion.

John Cooney's animated short Neglected Sky inspires people of all ages to take action to stop global warming.

What was your opinion of the filmmakers? They were very serious -- but friendly. I think they are very dedicated to their work, and they give it all they've got. They believe in themselves, which is important if you want somebody to take you seriously. It is obvious that this is not the end of these people's careers -- they will go on and do great things. They are people who refuse to let their age stop them from giving the public their view of the "truth" and, because they are relatively new to their work, their ideas have not yet been corrupted.

Do you think your age prohibits people from answering your questions seriously? Before this festival, I thought my age was a major obstacle. However, I realized I could use my age to my benefit. As one of my interviewees said, people will take you more seriously when they find out that you are young and trying to make a difference. The atmosphere at the festival proved this to me. People took my reporter, Matthew, and me seriously. Young people must have a voice. We have a lot of good and important ideas that can help improve our world. So, listen to us.

Children's PressLine articles appear in a bi-weekly column in New York City's Amsterdam News and recently received an award from the National Newspaper Publishers Association.