Women’s Film Institute To Screen Films Selected From Youth Filmmaking Program Generation HERstory

March 28, 2011 - PRLog -- The 2011 San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival runs from April 6-10 at the Roxie Theatre in San Francisco.  The Women’s Film Institute supports its mission of supporting, promoting and celebrating films directed and co-directed by women and girls as art and education by presenting the annual San Francisco International Women's Film Festival, Women’s Film Institute Shorts Tour, Generation HERstory filmmaking training program for young women (ages 12-19), a variety of film screenings and educational programs.

In 2006, Women’s Film Institute launched Generation HERstory Media Arts Project (GHMAP) Youth Filmmaker Workshop, a ten-week program designed to teach media literacy and technical skills to San Francisco Bay Area youth. GHMAP identifies and fosters the next generation of film directors and broadens public access to arts enrichment by providing free to low-cost hands-on filmmaking training and mentoring for diverse low-income and at-risk young women. Young women are given the tools to create shorts films and public-service announcements that authentically reflect their voices. Films created in GHMAP are given the opportunity to premiere at San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival.

The youth filmmaking partnership for Generation HERstory is with Girls, Inc., Youthcore and TILT.  The program offers free filmmaking training for young women.  Some of the films premiering as part of the short film program for the San Francisco International Women’s Film Festival have been made in conjunction with Tribeca Film Institute, Spyhop productions and Reel Grrls of Seattle.

The Women’s Film Institute has titled the films being screened by young female directors as a result of the Generation HERstory program: Making Herstory: Young Women in Director's Chair.  The films selected will be screened on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at the Ninth Street Independent Film Center at 5:30 pm. More information about the films selected for screening can be found by visiting: http://sfiwff.slated.com/2011/films/makingherstoryyoungwo....

Films created in the Generation HERstory program have been distributed to broadcast television, online, festivals, media arts centers and classrooms around the globe. Students and past participants also have gone on to work professionally in the motion picture industry.

Supported by the Women’s Film Institute, the San Francisco International Women's Film Festival has introduced San Francisco residents to some of the best films directed and co-directed by women from all over the world. The Festival was founded in 2004 to celebrate the achievements of women working behind the camera in film, from the earliest days of cinema up to the present, and to raise awareness about the need for more opportunities for women filmmakers.  More information can be found by visiting: http://www.womensfilminstitute.com.

Films being screened during Making Herstory: Young Women in Director's Chair are the following:

Temple: You Are What You Eat (Directors: Monica Gonzalez, Susanna Bi, Arug Haq, and Sophia Ho) - a film about how a girl makes the switch from unhealthy eating habits to making sound mental and physical choices.

No More Violence: The Dogs Days Are Over (Directors: Raquel Martinez, Ana Castellanos, Margarita Quezada and Alexis Lyons) - a girl trapped in a violent relationship finally breaks free, and realizes her self-worth.

The Fifth Star  (Director: Naomi Nelson) - Out of 11,500 firefighters in New York City, only 31 are women. Simply by being on the job, female firefighters defy stereotypes. Burning Barriers explores society's perceptions of gender by chronicling the experiences of women who face the challenges of working in a predominantly male environment.

Burning Barriers  (Directors:  Jasmine Fox, Matteo Mobilio, Laura Weisbord, Brithney Williams) - Follow Naomi as she explores the history of women getting the right to vote in Washington State one hundred years ago. Her journey includes interviews with historians, public officials, and some unexpected help from the Mayor of Seattle.

The Other Side of America (Director: Sonia Caraveo) - Cassandra's elementary school was in the shadow of the Twin Towers during 9-11. She and her family recount the horror of that day and their desperate search for each other -- a trauma that has never quite left them.

Survivors of Twins (Director: Cassandra Lu) - Three young adults discuss their separate journeys to the USA from Iran. Through the eyes of Sahar, a young filmmaker/student working through the difficulties of leaving her family and the place she calls home, we see the struggles each young person faces on a daily basis.

Borderless Sky (Directors: Gwyn Martin-Morris, Sahar Shakeri) - Three young adults discuss their separate journeys to the USA from Iran. Through the eyes of Sahar, a young filmmaker/student working through the difficulties of leaving her family and the place she calls home, we see the struggles each young person faces on a daily basis.

Just Say Know  (Director: Erin Cole) - Just Say Know examines the approach parents, and public schools take when speaking with young adults about sex. Is it better to be direct, show statistics, or ignore the subject completely?

Take Out  (Directors: Jordan Campbell, Gisele Mobley, Danielle Weisbord, Evan Wood) - Only in the melting pot of New York City could the distinct cultures of two countries thousands of miles apart be separated by a city block. Take Out is a narrative film about two young people, each determined to buy lunch from their favorite neighborhood spot. After a chance encounter, they are each introduced to a new culture, community, and maybe even a new favorite food.

Becoming Cephalopod (Director: Kate Nilsen) - In a black-and-white world, a girl born with paintbrushes on her hands and feet has trouble fitting in, and meeting an octopus changes more than just her life.

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About Women’s Film Institute:

Women’s Film Institute was founded by Scarlett Shepard in 2005. The Institute supports, promotes and celebrates films directed and co-directed by women. Through its filmmaking training program for young women (Generation HERstory), the annual San Francisco International Film Festival, Women’s Film Institute Shorts Tour, and a variety of film screenings and educational programs, the Institute is making a difference for women in film and media.

Women’s Film Institute is a fiscally sponsored project of Independent Arts & Media, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to increasing access to independent voices. Independent Arts & Media supports individuals, projects and organizations that build community through media, journalism, the arts and culture. www.womensfilminstitute.com