Helping young people make their voices heard through film
In the 2022–23 academic year, the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative once again partnered with the Civic Life Project to present the Bridging Divides, Healing Communities Youth Film Lab. Funded by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, this initiative offered regional students the opportunity to address important social issues and make their voices heard through film.
Working within local schools, we supported teachers to guide students in selecting issues that cause rifts between people and communities, or within society as a whole, so they could explore a topic and present a way forward in a very short film. The resulting films touch on diverse, topical subjects including the resettlement of refugees, the disengagement of young people from politics, the bonding of people from many different backgrounds in the making of a traditional food, and how a side hustle helps one student deal with social anxiety, connect with others, and build self-esteem.
Youth Film Lab screening and panel discussion, Tuesday, May 2
The Youth Film Lab culminated in a free screening of the films, followed by a panel discussion of the films, hosted by Bard College at Simon’s Rock. The audience heard from all the filmmakers, including a video from one of the students who was attending film school in Prague. The young filmmakers were joined by educators and community leaders to delve deeper into the topics raised in the films.
This event was free and open to all members of the community, who filled the auditorium and joined in the discussion during the Q&A. The evening was moderated by Diane Pearlman, executive director of the Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative.
Youth Film Lab submissions
Amani Kanaga & Kenold Dorce
Hudson High School
Yonah Sadeh
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Ashu Thara Rai
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Solana Priestley
Bard College at Simon’s Rock
Youth Film Lab panelists
Jana Laiz has served as a refugee resettlement counselor and ESL teacher. The Writer-In-Residence Emeritus at Herman Melville’s home Arrowhead and the Education Coordinator at Berkshire County Historical Society, she is the author of several award-winning books, two of which are in development for film.
iin Purwanti is a Berkshire-based business owner and a filmmaker who has produced and directed numerous documentaries, as well as a multitude of film, video, and commercial projects for her company, OUTPOST, with her partner, George Cox. With decades of experience in grassroots community organizing and social justice issues, iin is the founder of the not-for-profit organization Cinta Hutan; she is passionate about working with youth and community.
Dien Vo is an award-winning independent filmmaker and multimedia artist who joined the faculty at Simon’s Rock in 2017 after teaching at the University at Buffalo and at Virginia Tech, where he co-developed the filmmaking program.
Bridging Divides, Healing Communities Youth Film Lab partners
Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative
Diane Pearlman and Bess Hochstein
Civic Life Project
Catherine and Dominique Lasseur
Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation
Peter Taylor and Maeve O’Dea
The Bridging Divide, Healing Communities Youth Film Lab would not have happened without the participation of the following local teachers and independent filmmakers:
Meghan Abitabile, social studies teacher, Hudson High School
Rebecca Conroy, filmmaker and teacher, Hawthorne Valley School
Torey Jadow, filmmaker
Chuck Walker, filmmaker and Berkshire Film and Media Collaborative board member