Project YouthView 2008 Program
The selected feature film this year, Darius Goes West, is the true story of Darius Weems, a 15-year-old with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), who had never left his hometown of Athens, Georgia. In the summer of 2005, he and a group of college students traveled across the country in a wheelchair-accessible RV to test accessibility in the United States. Their ultimate goal was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV's hit show, "Pimp My Ride," to customize Darius's wheelchair. Along the way, they found joy, brotherhood, and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.
The selected youth-created films were chosen through a competitive process by industry and community judges from over 45 pieces submitted by youth throughout the Bay Area. These shorts use interviews, powerful images and narrative storytelling to shed light on youth issues ranging from body image to violence in their communities. The shorts and filmmakers for this year’s event originate from across the bay area, representing schools and organizations from cities including San Francisco, Oakland, Moraga, and Union City. They are:
- You Have the Right, Michael Maldonado (Bay Area Video Coalition Next Generation Video).
- Change the Nation, Brian McArthur, Ruben Palomares, Krista Kim, Jessica Gonzalez, Elliot McGreggor (Conscious Youth Media Crew).
- One World, Kyle Muller (Campolindo High School).
- Sometimes I Wish, Jonathan Sanchez (Conscious Media Youth Crew).
- Get Naked, Bea Seifert, Jose Enriquez, Esmeralda Ayala, Carla Suarez (JustThink Youth Media Educators).
- Wear a Helmet, Chinh Nguyen, Dennis Tabor, Jr., Julia Geronimo, RJ Sionson (James Logan High School).
- Not Another Statistic, Karen Lum (Bay Area Video Coalition Video/Next Generation Video).
- Breaking Free: How We Dance in the Town, Anastasia Freeman, Becky Saeturn, Tyisha Branner, Danasha Edmond, Hakeem Thomas, Jason Beasley, Frederick Rogers, Samath Sun, Kamla Krouch, Lawrence Robinson (East Bay Asian Youth Center/Streetside Productions).
The evening’s event includes an intermission with refreshments and opportunities to meet the filmmakers. All selected filmmakers will receive a prize package. In addition, an Audience Choice Award of $500 will be presented to the winning youth filmmaker. The evening will conclude with the feature film and interviews with its young filmmakers.
Creative, Powerful, Imaginative
Show us Your World
