Youth Programs
Our Vision
Cultivating and empowering the next generation of visual storytellers
We believe in the power of film to represent and understand the full spectrum of the world we live in. Our youth programs, serving kids age 12 through 18, brings our organization’s vision full circle, where emerging and professional filmmakers who have grown through Film Independent’s Artist Development programs mentor a next generation of youth creators, empowering them to find their voice and tell their own unique stories through film.
Film Independent’s youth programs harness our 35 years of experience in training, supporting and showcasing the work of diverse, emerging filmmakers, and providing opportunities for underrepresented communities to explore creative self-expression through media arts.
Our youth programs have received grants from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Sony Pictures Entertainment, the California Arts Council, California Humanities and the California State Library Civil Liberties Program. We work in partnership with a wide array of local organizations including LA Promise Fund, Inner-City Arts and A Place Called Home, as well as many local school districts.
Future Filmmakers Showcase
A curated showcase by, for and about young filmmakers
The Future Filmmakers Showcase features a curated program of short films directed, produced and edited by middle and high school students, bringing the best films made by young filmmakers from across the country and around the globe to the big screen. Films are selected by a committee of professional filmmakers and youth curators from LA.
Future Filmmakers gives students a platform to share their work with a wider audience, offering valuable access to networking and mentorship. Every showcase is followed by a reception to celebrate and connect with inspiring role models, including Ali LeRoi (Everybody Hates Chris), Bing Liu (Minding the Gap) and Marvin Lemus (Gentefied).
Our Youth Curators program provides a unique opportunity, offering high school students the chance to get a behind-the-scenes look at how a film festival is run, as well as hands-on experience. Students receive training from film programmers and curators, view short films created and submitted by other students, and participate in curating the program for the Future Filmmakers Showcase.
The Fellowship covers topics such as media literacy and film criticism, the role of a film programmer, and how to forge a career path in this field. The program culminates in the Future Filmmakers Showcase where the curators meet the creators and share their finalized program with an audience.
This program is run in partnership with Inner-City Arts.
Future Filmmakers Classroom
Helping pupils become professionals
The Exploring Civil Liberties program empowers high-school students with film production skills and a creative outlet to raise awareness about civil liberties issues. After students learn about a historic civil liberties topic from a documentary film by a Film Independent Fellow, filmmaker Mentors guide them in creating their own documentary and oral history projects on civil liberties topics relevant to their communities.
The pilot of this program was supported by the California State Library Civil Liberties Program, where students learned about the Japanese American incarceration experience during World War II from Ann Kaneko’s documentary, Manzanar, Diverted: When Water Becomes Dust. They celebrated their accomplishments and screened their projects at a showcase at the Japanese American National Museum.
Additional Opportunities
Are you looking to add more film, television and media arts education into your curriculum? Let's team up.
If you are an educator interested in integrating film education into your program, we offer professional development for teachers and a wide range of ways to collaborate.
Past events include customized workshops, assemblies, career days, screenings and field trips.
To learn more, contact Sarah Berkovich, Film Education Manager, at sberkovich@filmindependent.org.
Film Independent Youth Programs
