Youth Producing Change at the 2009 Human Rights Watch International Film Festival
2nd Edition of Youth-Produced Human Rights Films from Around the World
Founding Presenter: Adobe Youth Voices
Come see the world through my eyes
Alcides Soares, age 16, Mozambique and he shares his thought at the Good News Broadcast studio.
Each night 1,600 teenagers in New York City find themselves homeless. Clemins and Jackie, two formerly homeless
teens from NYC share their stories of overcoming adversity and their work to create a community of support around
teen homelessness.
In My Shoes (based in New York City)
(New York, May 29, 2009) The world premiere of the second edition of Youth Producing Change, an innovative program
of youth-produced short films from across the globe, will be presented on June 19-20, 2009, by the Human Rights
Watch International Film Festival (June 11-25), in collaboration with the founding presenter, Adobe Youth Voices.
Ten films will be shown this year, selected from over 300 international submissions.
Armed with digital cameras and their own boundless creativity, the first-time filmmakers featured in the series
bravely expose some of the most pressing human rights challenges of our day, tackling such issues as child labor,
immigration, access to clean water, sexual violence, police harassment, HIV/AIDS in Mozambique, and teen
homelessness in New York City. All of the films were produced by filmmakers who were under the age of 19 at the time
of production.
The Youth Producing Change program will be shown at the The Film Society of Lincoln Centers Walter Reade Theater on
Friday, June 19 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, June 20 at 2 p.m. Many of the young filmmakers from Brooklyn, to Seattle,
to Mozambique will make the trip to the festival to present their films to local audiences, advocating for their
issues and sharing their production experiences.
It is my hope, and that of my crew, that through the exposure of In My Shoes at the Human Rights Watch
International Film Festival, audiences will gain sensitivity and become aware of the growing issue of youth
homelessness and be inspired to address the issue in their communities, said Zanetta King, 17, of New York.
Enabling young people to comment on the issues that matter to them, to their communities, and ultimately, to our
world is a primary goal of the Adobe Youth Voices program, and the reason why were proud to support the Human
Rights Watch International Film Festival, said Michelle Mann, director of corporate social responsibility for Adobe
Systems Incorporated and executive director of the Adobe Foundation. The festival provides the ideal stage for
youth to express themselves, and to inspire a dialogue for change.
The festival will hold a youth news conference for the young filmmakers from 4 to 7 p.m. on June 19 in the Furman
Gallery of the Walter Reade Theater. The Youth Producing Change filmmakers visiting the festival will participate in
this youth-centered news conference to share their production experiences with local youth filmmakers. Registration
for this exclusive event is free, and is open to members of the press and youth-based organizations.
For a full program of Youth Producing Change films at the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival, please
visit:
http://www.hrw.org/en/iff/youth-producing-change-world-premiere
To watch a trailer for the Youth Producing Change program, please visit:
Filmmakers attending the festival (bios available upon request):
Alcides Soares, 16 years old, I Live in Mozambique (based in Mozambique)
Sahar Shakeri, 19 years old, Thoughts in a Hijab (based in Seattle)
Noe,16 years old, Nos Story (based in San Francisco)
Annalise Littman, 16 years old, Aquafinito (based in Boston)
Clevins Browne, 20 years old; Zanetta King,17 years old; and Olivia McClendon,16 years old; In My Shoes
(based in New York City)
Various teen filmmakers, Its Not About Sex (based in New York City){enclose last_guy.mp4}
