The Brownsville Film Festival

The Brownsville Film Festival on June 15th, 2017 showcased the talents of 5 Brownsville schools.The first half of the festival celebrated the works of our middle school students from our Brownsville programs. Students ate lunch sponsored by local businesses, followed a screening of a compilation of all their hard work throughout the school year. Their films covered a diverse set of topics ranging from a documentary on the legacy of Greg "Jocko" Jackson to freedom of speech for youth.Council Member Darlene Mealy joined us in the evening of the festival. Council Member Mealy gave a warm welcome and remark to Reel Works. She awarded three Reel Works staff, Abby, Alissa and Bilal, with certificates for their hard work and dedication to the Brownsville neighborhood.The Nu Lyonz Step Band and Steppaz In Command step team blew the crowd away with their talent, coordination, and teamwork. We were proud to showcase the visual poems created by Reel Works' in School students at the Fredrick Douglass Academy VII. Their films displayed vulnerability, creativity, and honesty that spoke to the whole crowd. The student films touched an array of topics such as love and depression.Reel Works thanks our community school partners: P.S. / I.S. 32; Mott Hall Bridges Academy; Frederick Douglas Academy VII; P.S. 327 Dr. Rose B. English School andI.S./P.S. 248 The Gregory "Jocko" Jackson School Of Sports, Art and TechnologyWe concluded the night with a screening of 72 Hours: A Brooklyn Love Story, which was followed by a youth panel discussion. The panel discussion was led by the youths who worked on the film, Khidr Joseph (Reel Works Productions) and Dexter Dugar (Reel Works Production), as well as Reel Works in Schools' Student Teacher Bilal Ndongo who is a life long resident of Brownsville.Reel Works' Director of Education, Alissa Cherry stated how great it was to share the works of our students: "Thanks to the generosity of Councilwoman Darlene Mealy, we were so lucky to have worked with our amazing school partners in Brownsville last school year. The work produced by the students were so genuine and full of heart, it was clear these students were passionate about their projects. We can't wait for the next Brownsville Film Festival!"