Ghetto Film School (GFS) is an award-winning non-profit founded in 2000 to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great American storytellers. Based in the South Bronx NYC and MacArthur Park LA, GFS builds a pipeline of diverse, creative talent through two tracks: a pre-professional, narrative filmmaking educational program, and an early career support network for those working in the creative and media industries. Over 1,500 individuals are annually engaged in GFS programs, always free of charge.
I joined Ghetto Film School LA the summer of 2016. Months before I had applied through a submitted application, which included two short stories, and an interview. It was a nerve wracking experience and I was scared I was gonna be rejected, but I was ecstatic to find out that I had gotten in! We met that summer four days a week for eight hours a day to learn more about how to make films, analyze other films, practice working with equipment, and to work on our own six minute non-dialogue short films. By the end of the summer we had all written, directed, and edited our own shorts! It was stressful, but also a fun experience to have. It made me really see my future as a film-maker. Since GFS is a 30-month long program, we would still meet during the school year on weekends to write and work on projects – like a short film shot at NYU, a two-minute dialogue short, and a thesis trip in another country!
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