This spring, The Michael’s Daughter Foundation proudly presented our “Our Stories” program from January to May, engaging middle school students at GALS and Secure Track youth at Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Detention Facility. This session marked a significant transition from live-action filmmaking to animation, resulting in the creation of four incredible short films.
Our Stories, Brought to Life
- The Supernaturals: What happens when a young girl discovers her powers?
- The Last Breath: When a 100-year-old takes on his last heist mission, miracles happen.
- The Shapeshifter: What happens when a bully shape shifts?
- Love and Squabbles: Can Esley and his dog Scooby make enough money for college?
The films were beautifully animated by Wesely Etienne, with voice capture by Jordan Litt and Aaron Diecker. One special moment was when Aaron and Katie Diecker joined our Voice Over sessions, offering their expertise. Aaron, a sound engineer for some notable animations, and Katie, a voice-over coach, significantly enhanced the quality of our films.
The students were guided by our talented teaching artists:
- Kevin Diaz Chavez, Filmmaker
- Brendan Fitzgibbons, Comedian/Actor
- Collin St. Dic, Writer
We were also thrilled to welcome MDF alumnus, Lesyle Martinez, as our program facilitator. Our dedicated administrative team, Program Manager Natasha Elias and Program Assistant Emma Soltero, ensured the smooth running of the program.
Celebrating Achievements
The 14-week program culminated in two special screening events. The first was an in-house event at Barry J. Nidorf, attended by representatives from LA County Probation, along with caseworkers and counselors. The second was a public screening at the Van Nuys Regency Theater, where we were honored to have Judge Songhai Armstead in attendance, representing the Los Angeles County Department of Justice, Opportunity, and Care.
Both events were a resounding success, celebrating the hard work and creativity of our students.
Success Story
We completed the Spring programs at GALS LA and Barry J. Nidorf Detention Hall with very positive results. Based on the survey responses, it is clear that the majority of participants found these programs extremely beneficial, with most ratings falling on the higher end of the scale. Participants also rated the clarity of the Teaching Artists’ instruction highly. Favorite aspects of the program included writing scripts, doing voiceovers, and film production. Many participants appreciated the Teaching Artists’ understanding, bold, and respectful teaching styles. When asked about possible improvements, most participants felt that no significant changes were necessary, suggesting overall satisfaction with the program.
Initially, the participants at Barry J. Nidorf wanted their films to contain explicit content, including violence and gangs, mirroring their lived experiences. However, we had to limit some of this content, as it does not align with the foundation’s message. One participant responded to these limitations by saying:
“At first, when we were creating, it kind of felt like a restriction that we were being told how we should express ourselves. But as we got deeper into it… it continued to emphasize us being in our little bubble, that was us being in our bubble, us wanting to express ourselves through violence and gang banging and doing what we do. I feel like doing what you did when you kind of set those boundaries, it enabled us and pushed us out of our comfort zone and into something better. I like to say, I am not defined by what I did yesterday but by the decisions I made today. I feel like that is what it is. At first, I was hesitant and reluctant in making any compromises to the script, but as we moved on, I feel like the compromises were actually good. All in all, the experience drove us to once again beat the definition that is placed upon us by other people.”
Watch the Films
We invite you to enjoy the remarkable short films created by our talented students. The links to the films are provided below:
Thank you for your continued support of The Michael’s Daughter Foundation. We look forward to bringing more inspiring stories to life with our future programs.
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About The Michael’s Daughter Foundation
The Michael’s Daughter Foundation is dedicated to empowering youth through creative arts and storytelling. Our programs aim to provide a platform for young voices to be heard and their stories to be shared.
For more information, or if you’d like to connect please email: info@michaelsdaughter.org
