The last session always brings feelings of joy and sadness, concurrently. Feelings of joy as we celebrate the accomplishment of having produced a short and impactful film and friendships along the way, but also sadness as it is the “last” session (at least for now)!
It was stressful, because we were making sure all the films were completed and ready to share with the family and friends attending the hoʻike. And, in spite of all the challenges we encountered, we did it! We manage to complete 4 films and export them just in time for the screening.
Even though guests were eagerly coming in, we circled around one more time and debriefed a little. The participants were asked how they worked together as a team, and what they learned from each other. We Edge was the warmest and fuzziest...they talked about how much they loved working together, how they always made working on the film fun because they laughed so much, and how they feel they made new friends. One of the crew members said that she never expected to find such amazing people and friends in this program. She thought they would just work together on a film, but she didn't know she would "love them all!"
One of the participants commented how we provided a safe space in its actuality. She commented on how a lot of people say “we are a safe space,” but sometimes those remain only words. She underscored how she felt that Making Media That Matters was a safe space for her.
We asked them what they learned about themselves and one of the participants (from Lotus Productions) said that she learned she could tune everything out and get through the hard acting scenes. She talked about how many people were in the room staring at her and how that intimidated her at first, but she was able to get to those emotional places and this made her proud. That same team talked about the poem and the original music in their film, and how they were proud they had amazing artists to showcase in several different art forms.
Sad Cat Productions shared about the difficulty of working with only 3 people when I asked about the challenges they faced as a team and yet, they all managed to come together to make a fabulous film.
The films they produced are:
Unfit by Sad Cats Productions.
Expectations by We Edge Productions.
It’s ok to not be ok by Veggie Straws Productions.
Day in day out by Lotus Productions.
We started the screening promptly at 1:30 pm. Each film was followed by a Q&A with filmmakers, giving them the opportunity to share about their creative processes, challenges, and how they overcame difficulties during filming. Something that really stuck with me is when one of the filmmakers shared how challenging it can be to share what you are going through with the adults in your life, and making this film was a way to possibly facilitate meaningful conversations. It made me realize (even more than I already do) the importance of programs like ours; programs in which our young women feel safe, are seen and heard, and are in a supportive environment invested in their well-being. This is who we are and what we stand for. ‘Til next time.
