(CHICAGO, IL) As home to the largest film school in the nation, Columbia College Chicago can also boast that it hosts some of the most au courant film festivals as well. The CineYouth Festival, hosted this year by Columbia, showcases work by filmmakers under the age of 20. This year’s Festival features screenings of 100 films from across the country as well as workshops, panels and performances. The CineYouth Festival (formerly Future Filmmakers Festival) produced by Cinema/Chicago, the presenting organization of the 44th Chicago International Film Festival, will kick-off with an Opening Night Celebration on Friday June 20, 2008 at 7 p.m., with the conference continuing on June 20 and 21.
The June 20 kick off will screen the film Girls Rock! directed by Shane King, who made his first film at the age of 12. The screening will be followed by a discussion with King. Girls Rock!, which opened this past March, documents the experiences of girls who participated in a girls-only rock ‘n roll camp.
“There is a sense of empowerment in hearing your voice through a microphone for the first time,” says one of the camp counselors in the film. “You can’t underestimate how it feels to have your voice echo through a room.”
The mission of the Girls Rock! camp depicted in the film is for young girls to hear their voices, both figuratively and literally. Images of young girls shrilly screaming until their faces are red in a kind of emotional purgative is at first glance comedic, but as the scream is held for more than 5, 6, 7 seconds, it becomes a cry for something deeper. To see these same girls thrashing on guitars and taking the stance of the ‘girl rocker’ in songs that they have written themselves is an image of pure liberation.
One statistic that is quoted in the film’s trailer says, “The number one wish of teenage girls is to lose weight.” The film makes a point of this statistic not because obesity is a major problem with teens in America, but because it is so incredibly sad that girls feel that unless they are thin they are not allowed to have ambitions beyond their bodies.
One of the most striking moments in the film is to hear a girl talk about how much she hates herself and to later talk about her transformation after attending rock and roll camp.
“I’ve been waiting for so long to finally admit to myself that I am amazing and I really am,” she says. “Everyone is beautiful in their own way and they get even better when they decide to be powerful and they decide to rock!”
After the film, Ron Falzone, Film Professor and Directing Area Coordinator at Columbia College, will moderate a discussion with Shane King. The post-screening reception will include a performance by local youth rock band Ursa Minor, whose oldest member is 15. The band members met at summer rock camp.
CineYouth Festival will be held at Columbia’s Film Row Cinema and all of the screenings, workshops and filmmaking panels are free and open to the public. RSVP to marketing@chicagofilmfestival.com. Seating will be on a first come, first served basis and is limited to theater capacity. To register for the workshops, email cineyouth@chicagofilmfestival.com. For more information about the CineYouth Festival and schedule of events, visit www.chicagofilmfestival.com or call Cinema/Chicago offices at 312-683-0121 x117.
Cinema/Chicago is a not-for-profit, cultural and education organization dedicated to encouraging better understanding between cultures and its people and to making a positive contribution to the art form of the moving image. The CineYouth Festival is part of the year-round programs presented by Cinema/Chicago, which also include the Chicago International Film Festival, Summer and Fall Gala, International Summer Screenings, Intercom Competition, Hugo Television Awards, Black Perspectives and Educational Outreach.
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