Lights, sound, camera, action! Welcome to MIX NYC’s fourth year of “A Different Take,” a video production workshop for LGBTQ youth and young adults. Our 2009 program served 5 students of ages 14 to 24-years-old who participated in our ten-week summer/fall intensive program by writing, directing, and editing his/her own short film. Eager to challenge themselves, these students developed their skills by exploring complex topics using fiction, non-fiction, and experimental styles to express their stories. The students drew from not only their own personal experiences but also from members within their inner social circles. The themes they chose ranged from revisiting friends and family impacted by the foster care system; childhood sexual abuse; undocumented gay immigrants; the beauty of youth connected through feminine expression; to homophobic violence. These queer youth have their fingers on the pulse of a generation that is increasingly learning in the importance of staking their place in a society overloaded by media and using the digital tools to broadcast their issues.
Victoria Ruiz, Michael Place, & L.S. Serrano are three students from ADT 2008 who returned this year to work on their second films. It’s confirmed they’ve been bitten by the filmmaking bug, so expect more from them in the future! Our newcomers, Aishah Abdullah and Michael Mendoza, quickly recognized the power of the moving image and cranked out pieces that will equally stir audiences.
This year, participants were paired up with college filmmakers who mentored students through their production process. Their mentors were Laura Shapiro, Kristie Garfield, Taylor Derwin, and Natalie Wittlin. Special thanks to Barbara Malaran (ADT Education Manager) and Nicole Jaquis (NYC Parks & Rec CRC Coordinator) who kept the wheels of the computer lab in motion. Kick back, enjoy, and join us for a post-screening discussion with the filmmakers.
— Hima B. ADT Education Director. TRT: 55 min.
November 22, 2009
4 PM
The decision
L.S. Serrano
2009, USA, video, color, sound, 5 min.
Alex is a gay, undocumented, Latino immigrant who is trying to find his place in New York City. He is in a relationship with a boy named Ryan, but after hearing that his transgender friend has been deported, he faces a tough decision: Should he stay in his relationship and risk the same fate? Or find a woman and deny who he really is?
how iT ends
Victoria Ruiz
2009, USA, video, color, sound, 5 min.
A young lesbian, Chichi, tries to survive high school and find love. With her best friend’s encouragement, she starts to flirt with the popular girl, who has a boyfriend. Her classmates had already been taunting her for being gay, but now she could be in even bigger danger.
JusT disappeared
Michael Place
2009, USA, video, color, sound, 5 min.
This is the trailer for a documentary in which filmmaker Michael Place uses his personal experiences as an entryway into a larger exploration of NYC’s foster care system. In this segment, Place focuses on his own journey: from being taken away from his school after opening up about his mother’s drug addiction to speaking in from of classmates, friends, teachers, and family members at his high school graduation. He combines footage of important moments, like a hug with his mom at graduation, and interviews with family members and neighbors from his past.
rachel
Michael Mendoza
2009, USA, video, color, sound, 5 min.
A young woman remembers being molested by her father and kicked out of her house by her mother. Having survived these traumas, she now has the opportunity to look towards the future.
lippy
Aisha Abdullah
2009, USA, video, color, sound, 5 min.
Young people of different shapes, sizes, colors, races, and genders stand in front of a blank wall. Black and white fast and slow-moving images combine to form this meditation on humanity.
eloise
Taylor Derwin & Chase-lyn Sage
2008, USA, B&W, Video, sound, 11 min.
Ever heard of the girl who grew up in the Plaza Hotel? A experimental narrative about a self-absorbed young woman who is a poster-child for a misplaced and jaded generation.
pop world
Aris Chagoya
2009, USA, Video, Color & B&W, 19 min.
Trans youth finds escape from the suburbs in transportation and pop music. Fictional experimental documentary.