The PBS and Adobe Foundations Join with POV in Awarding Grantsto 15 Documentary Projects by Young Filmmakers

The PBS and Adobe Foundations Join with POV in Awarding Grantsto 15 Documentary Projects by Young Filmmakers

Project VoiceScape Collaboration Provides Funding, Pairs Leading FilmmakersWith Emerging Teen Artists Nationwide

NEW YORK, June 1, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Adobe and PBS Foundations, together with the PBS series POV, are pleased to announce that 15 projects by 22 teen filmmakers will receive grants from Project VoiceScape, a collaboration between the Adobe Foundation's global signature philanthropy program Adobe Youth Voices and POV, public television's longest-running showcase for independent nonfiction films.

Project VoiceScape encourages middle- and high-school students nationwide to use digital media tools to create compelling stories about issues and concerns important to them. The 15 winning projects will be awarded $2,000 each in completion funds, and the students will be mentored by award-winning documentary filmmakers. In addition, three finalists will be selected and featured on the POV website (www.pbs.org/pov), PBS Teachers website (www.pbs.org/teachers) and Adobe Foundation websites. Project VoiceScape grant recipients will be honored at an event in Washington, D.C., in October 2011 (details to be announced).

Project VoiceScape is also providing select PBS member stations nationwide with funds to support student-created media training from KQED San Francisco's Digital Media Center, and software donated by Adobe. These PBS stations will become part of the Adobe Youth Voices network, providing opportunities to showcase students' work and collaborate with other Adobe Youth Voices participants around the globe.

"Project VoiceScape received 250 applications, with program content ranging from immigration to the environment, identity, disabilities and women's history," said POV Executive Vice President Cynthia Lopez. "It was clear to the editorial committees that these young people are on the pulse of what is important in today's society. The choice was a difficult one, but we are thrilled to announce the 15 films selected for completion, and look forward to mentoring the next generation of documentary filmmakers producing innovative work for public media."

"We salute these students -- their passion to create and speak out on important issues will be an inspiration to youth all over the world," said Adobe Youth Voices Senior Manager Miguel Salinas. "Empowering youth to create with purpose using digital media tools is at the heart of our mission. We're proud to be partnering with the PBS Foundation and POV to continue this important work."

Project VoiceScape's 15 winning programs:

Name Location Film
---- -------- ----
"What Is Jerkin?": A gang-related
turf dance from the '80s is
San Francisco, reinvented for positive goals by
Tyre Brown Calif. urban youth.

"Bed Stuy: Do or Buy?":
Negesti Cantave Brooklyn, NY Gentrification in the historically
African-American community of Bedford
Stuyvesant in Brooklyn.

"Sexploitation: Oakland Youth In
Crisis": Young girls on Oakland's
street corners: Are they prostitutes
Bidhya Dhakal Oakland, Calif. or victims?
Jalisa Edwards
Armando Emery
Indra Karki
Raul Ortega
Lal Thapa
Xiuhua Zheng

"Right to Be an American": Children of
illegal immigrants in Arizona and
Alejandra Gama Goodyear, Ariz. their struggles.

"Seeds of Hope": A mother turns
tragedy into hope after her son is
Mohamed Gardner Albany, NY killed.
Imani Peterkin
"Musical Warrior": A young boy with
San Diego, cancer inspires others to care
Angel Gatus Calif. through music and friendship.

"No Pity": Autism disability self-
Drew Morton advocates' empowered response to our
Goldsmith Middleton, Wis. culture's pity for the disabled.

Untitled: The financial struggles of
Madena Henderson Troy, NY students going to college today.

"The Fifth Star": Follow Naomi as she
explores the story of women receiving
the right to vote in Washington State
Julia Levy Seattle, Wash. 100 years ago.

PWNING at Life: Behavior patterns of
Sergio Ricardo one person who plays videogames and
Ortiz Viera, Fla. another who does not.

"The Dreamers": A look at the
struggles that Bennie Veliz, the
San Antonio, poster child for the Dream Act, has
Emileigh Potter Texas encountered to fulfill her dream.

Untitled: Follow a baseball league for
people with disabilities as the
teammates enjoy social interactions
Matthew Seife Scarsdale, NY and develop life skills.

"In Between: The Story of Oscar
Velasquez": This 27-year-old has
faced the prospect of being deported
San Diego, ever since being illegally brought
Trevor Seines Calif. into the U.S. as a baby.

"Gardens of Justice": New York City's
Jesus Manuel food-justice movement in community
Villalba Bronx, NY gardens.

"This Gay and Age" (working title):
The evolving expectations surrounding
Minneapolis, teen gays and lesbians due to
Morgan Wilcock Minn. stereotypes and media influences.

POV | American Documentary oversaw the national call for entries on the POV website. PBS Teachers also plays a continuing part in Project VoiceScape, helping educators obtain advice from youth-media experts on inspiring students to produce exciting and innovative content. Building on PBS' long-standing relationship with teachers and the education community, the site also provides access to Adobe Youth Voices Essentials, a set of free curricula and resources to help educators launch, guide and sustain effective youth-media programs.

POV, recognized internationally for its rigorous editorial selection process of outstanding nonfiction films, employed a two-tiered process of outside review to evaluate the 250 Project VoiceScape submissions. From these, 60 film proposals were selected. A five-member editorial committee of noted filmmakers, educators and media-literacy experts then screened the works and selected 30 films for final review. POV's editorial team selected the 15 finalist projects to receive grants.

The Project VoiceScape Editorial Committee members included:

-- David Gaynes, who began his career in local television news as a
journalist on both sides of the camera for stations in the metro-New
York area, Hartford, Conn., and upstate New York. He is a filmmaker for
the digital video branding company Reel Biography. His latest
directorial effort (and first feature) is "Keeper of the Kohn," which
won Best Documentary at the 2005 Vail Film Festival and the Audience
Award at the 2005 Palm Beach International Film Festival.
-- Jessica Lee, the founder of Lightbox Media and a producer of educational
materials for independent media. As outreach and development manager at
POV from 2007-2010, she helped facilitate hundreds of free community
screenings, spearheaded partnerships with national organizations and
oversaw research for POV's companion materials. She holds a master's
degree in education leadership from Teachers College, Columbia
University.
-- Cyrille Phipps, a media educator and video documentary maker. As a video
instructor, she taught in more than 20 public junior and senior high
schools in the New York City area. She has collaborated on documentaries
that have aired on PBS, TNT and the BBC, and was the co-founder of Black
Planet Productions. She was the recipient of a Fellowship Award from the
New York Foundation for the Arts and most recently from The Urban Arts
Initiative/NYC. Phipps is in production on "Seen But Not Heard: AIDS and
the Untold War Against Black Women."
-- Clarivel Ruiz, the director of youth community media for the Downtown
Community Television Center, where she manages youth-media instruction
and media literacy workshops in New York City high schools and community
centers. In 2006, she taught four young African-American women media
arts, resulting in "Not As Seen On TV," a documentary about the
post-Katrina New Orleans. Ruiz was co-producer of "Talkin' Water," an
award-winning short about the women's journey to make the film. Her
latest project is "Mami y Papi," a documentary about her parents'
immigration to New York from the Dominican Republic.
-- Angela Tucker, the director of production at Big Mouth Films, a
social-issue documentary production company that is a project of Arts
Engine, Inc. There, she produced the Emmy-nominated documentary
"Deadline" and worked in various production capacities on "Election Day"
(POV 2008) and "Beyond the Steps: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater"
(PBS Great Performances). She is currently producing "Rose and
Nangabire," about a mother and daughter's reunion after being separated
by conflict in the Congo.

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, Inc. and beginning its 24th season on PBS in 2011, the award-winning POV is the longest-running showcase on American television to feature the work of today's best independent documentary filmmakers. POV, which airs June-September with primetime specials during the year, has brought more than 300 documentaries to millions nationwide. Since 1988, POV has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today's social issues. More information is available at www.pbs.org/pov.

About American Documentary, Inc.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc develops collaborative strategic-engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation. More information is available at www.amdoc.org.

About PBS Foundation

The mission of the PBS Foundation is to solicit funding for PBS by seeking extraordinary grants and gifts. Working collaboratively with member stations, the PBS Foundation's fundraising efforts benefit and enhance the system as a whole by providing a source for revenue at the highest level. The PBS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization and a 509(a)(3) supporting organization of PBS. For more information, visit http://www.pbs.org/foundation.

About PBS

PBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans -- from every walk of life -- the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches 124 million people through television and 20 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS' premier children's TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents' and teachers' most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBSPressroom on Twitter.

About the Adobe Foundation

The Adobe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created and funded by Adobe Systems Incorporated to leverage human, technological and financial resources to drive social change and community improvements.

About Adobe Youth Voices

Adobe Youth Voices is the Adobe Foundation's global philanthropic initiative that empowers youth from underserved communities with digital media skills so they can comment on their world, share their ideas and take action on issues that are important to them. By harnessing the energy and insight of youth 13-19 years old, Adobe Youth Voices aims to inspire a dialogue for change in their communities. The program engages youth to express themselves through documentary videos, photography, print media, radio diaries, animation, Web communications and other media. Since 2006, the Adobe Youth Voices global network has grown to more than 700 sites, grantees and organizations in 45 countries, and has engaged more than 76,000 youth and 4,000 educators in schools and out-of-school programs. For more information, visit www.youthvoices.adobe.com.

About the Adobe Foundation

The Adobe Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation created and funded by Adobe Systems Incorporated to leverage human, technological and financial resources to drive social change and community improvements.

Contact: POV Communications: Cathy Fisher, cfisher@pov.org, 212-989-7425 POV Pressroom: www.pbs.org/pov/pressroom or via cell at 646-729-4748

For Adobe Youth Voices: Cynthia Fetty, Cynthia.fetty@edelman.com, 650-762-2872

SOURCE American Documentary

American Documentary

Web Site: http://www.pbs.org/POV

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