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Feature Announcement
Ready, Set, Rolling:
Montreal Film festival spotlights social issues videos by youth for youth
Toronto, ON (August 7, 2008) - Free The Children’s youth-made documentary films ‘The Unknown China’ and ‘Crossing Borders’ will be premiering at Montreal’s Young Cuts Film Festival held from August 14-21, 2008. The festival showcases the best short, independent films from around the globe, produced by people ages 25 and under.
‘Crossing Borders’ follows the lives of young people living on the border of Mexico and Arizona and explores the cultural and socio-economic impacts of migration on youth. ‘Unknown China’ is a window into some of the complex social issues surrounding the rural-urban divide in China as seen through the eyes of a team of Canadian youth. Both these films spotlight social justice issues from a young person’s perspective, and relate these issues to a North American youth audience.
The Directors of Change is a joint program initiative of Nokia and Free The Children. The program is an example of an initiative aimed to benefit thousands of youths via school board partnerships, classroom connections and through new media opportunities. In 2006 Free The Children piloted the film component through an initiative that was supported by the Fondation René Malo. The pilot initiative had tremendous influence in the current Directors of Change program. Launched in 2007, Directors of Change equips youth with the ability to capture a first-hand look at social justice issues affecting the lives of their peers around the world. Each year, the program sends a team of high school students abroad to volunteer and explore critical global issues. Guided by an experienced filmmaker, students are trained to film a series of short documentary films to share with their North American peers.
“Nokia is proud to work with Free The Children to provide youth with the opportunity to make positive changes in their communities and the world around them,” said Carla Carmichael, Director of Marketing, Nokia Canada. “We’re committed to having a positive impact on the society in which we live and work. The Directors of Change program is an excellent vehicle for promoting social change as it allows youth to identify important global issues and share the information with their peers.”
To support young filmmakers and encourage them to continue to effect positive social change, Nokia is proud to institute “The Nokia Teen Award”. Winners will receive one of the best multimedia phones available worldwide – the critically acclaimed Nokia N95 8GB, featuring a 5 megapixel camera with 20x zoom, Carl Zeiss optics and a luminous 2.8” QVGA 16 million colour display. With MPEG-4 VGA video capture to shoot videos at 30 frames per second, high-quality movie making and viewing is right at their fingertips.
“Participating in the Young Cuts Film Festival is a wonderful opportunity for the Directors of Change program, our young filmmakers and the people whose lives these films depict,” says Craig Kielburger, founder, Free The Children. “This program celebrates young peoples’ perspectives on social issues affecting their global communities, and through art and social media, challenges them to share their message of social action.”
The Young Cuts Film Festival is held from August 14-21 in Montreal, Quebec. The festival features short films produced by emerging filmmakers and serves as a launch pad for careers in filmmaking for many of its participants.
About Directors of Change
The Directors of Change program aims to create a generation of globally aware, socially engaged youth who are equipped to take action in their communities and contribute to the lives of their disadvantaged peers. Through the program, secondary school students immerse themselves in a developing country community, learning how to make short documentary films and contributing as volunteers. The program combines youth-made documentary films and a resource guide to help educators bring social issues alive in over 200 classrooms. The Directors of Change program is offered by Free The Children and is part of a global youth development initiative of Nokia and the International Youth Foundation. For more information on the program visit www.freethechildren.com/directorsofchange.
About Free The Children
Free The Children is the world's largest network of children helping children through education, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded in 1995 by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has a proven track record of success. The organization has received the World’s Children’s Prize for the Rights of the Child (also known as the Children’s Nobel Prize), the Human Rights Award from the World Association of Non-Governmental Organizations, and has formed successful associations with leading school boards and Oprah’s Angel Network. For more information on Free The Children visit www.freethechildren.com.
About Nokia - Community Involvement
Nokia is committed to having a positive impact on society that extends beyond the advanced technology, products, and services it creates. It has invested in community and projects supporting young people and education in 30 countries, benefiting more than one million young people. The company has an active employee volunteering program, which last year saw its employees give more than 18,000 hours to local community projects. Nokia is also supporting innovative technology projects designed to bridge the digital divide and bring the benefits of mobile technology to communities around the world. Further information is available at www.nokia.com.
About the International Youth Foundation
The International Youth Foundation (IYF) is a global non-profit organization uniquely dedicated to preparing young people to be healthy, productive, and engaged citizens. Founded in 1990, IYF’s worldwide network of partner organizations has grown to 70 countries, helping young people to shape their futures through proven programs that tie education to work, improve employability, and enable and inspire them to play a positive role in their communities. IYF collaborates with businesses, governments and civil society organizations to build effective, sustainable and scalable programs that positively impact the lives of young people worldwide. To learn more about IYF, please visit www.iyfnet.org.
