MAKING A DIFFERENCE SHORTS PROGRAM

MAKING A DIFFERENCE SHORTS PROGRAM
Sunday, August 25, 2024 at 5:30 PM
SHORTS PROGRAM | 89 min
General Admission $10 | Student + Children $8

ONE STORY AT A TIME: CELESTE LECESNE
SHORT DOCUMENTARY | 10 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Eva Tenuto and Natalia Iyudin

In the docu-short One Story at a Time, Celeste Lecesne candidly shares how he not only escaped the confines of homophobia but combatted it by finding the courage to share his truth with the world. In a seemingly fateful chain of events, an off-broadway solo-show becomes an Academy Award-winning film that ultimately inspires The Trevor Project, the largest suicide prevention lifeline for LGBTQIA+ youth. Now, 25 years later, countless lives have been saved, and Celeste stays the course, inspiring the next generation to have the bravery to claim their truth and continue to change the world, one story at a time.

Director, Eva Tenuto and Natalia Iyudin

Eva co-founded TMI Project in 2010, spearheading a movement using true storytelling as a liberation practice for social justice. With an unwavering commitment to releasing shame and stigma through true storytelling, Eva has propelled TMI Project from her living room to the United Nations, and many places in between. Since then, she has guided thousands of people to write and share their stories. Now, Eva is the co-host of the award-winning podcast, The TMI Project Story Hour, and the stories are being listened to around the world. Eva is the editor and director of multiple solo shows, one of which was awarded Best Comedic Script in the United Solo Festival. Her award-winning docu-short, Vicarious Resilience, celebrated its world premiere at The Woodstock Film Festival. Her latest docu-shorts, Locker Room Talk and One Story at a Time: Celeste Lecesne, debut in 2024. Her essays have appeared in assorted anthologies and online publications.

Natalia Iyudin had her start in the industry as a TV editor for MTV, BET and PBS. She then worked in development on “Girly” with Rashida Jones, Refinery29 and the UN Foundation, and “Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop” for Netflix. She directed for mental health campaigns around teen suicide and opioid crises, and on several projects for Toyota. She co-created and directed “We Got You” -- an award-winning digital series featuring Tarik “Black Thought” Trotter of The Roots. Natalia’s directing work streamed on Direct TV and DUST and screened festivals worldwide, before she made her TV debut with two episodes of a horror anthology for Stage 13, "Two Sentence Horror Stories"; currently on Netflix.

BEYOND THE RING
SHORT DOCUMENTARY | 29.5 MIN | ENGLISH | SOUTH AFRICA
Directed by Mari Geldenhuys and Malcolm Rainers

In the South Africa township of Khayelitsha, a young female boxer confronts the spectre of gender-based violence by immersing herself in the world of boxing, seeking empowerment and courage in the face of pervasive fear. Training at a local gym known for nurturing young talent, she embarks on a transformative journey of self-discovery and resilience. Through sweat, determination, and the solidarity of her fellow boxers, she emerges as a beacon of hope and inspiration, embodying the unwavering spirit of triumph over adversity.

Director, Mari Geldenhuys and Malcolm Rainers

Mari and Malcolm are filmmakers from Cape Town, South Africa. As an avid filmmaker fuelled by a lifelong passion for storytelling, Mari thrives on capturing images with purpose and emotional depth to craft compelling narratives. Malcolm has experience creating diverse videos and films and continually pursues tackling narratives that might shift perspectives towards a world were love and truth are king. Together, Malcolm and Mari form a strong partnership where story remains priority, whilst taking every opportunity to frame those stories engagingly.

WHAT ALES US?
SHORT DOCUMENTARY | 22 MIN | ENGLISH | CANADA
Directed by Cathy van Ingen

Two women reckon with a broken beer industry in Canada and start a movement to change it.

Director, Cathy van Ingen

Cathy van Ingen is an independent documentary filmmaker based in the Niagara region. While working as a professor of Kinesiology at Brock University, Cathy undertook an MFA degree at Toronto Metropolitan University in Documentary Media. What Ales Us? is her first film. With an interest in documentaries about unsung heroes and untold injustices, she launched a production company, Catchweight Films. She is interested in crafting character-driven visual stories drawing on original research and compelling narratives.

IN THE LANGUAGE OF OUR MOTHERS
SHORT DOCUMENTARY | 16 MIN | ENGLISH | USA
Directed by Jean Chapiro

Sadia is a Masalit composer who immigrated from Sudan to Kakuma, a refugee camp in Kenya, in 2017. Since 2003 the Janjaweed, a Sudanese Arab militia group, have been systematically attacking the ethnic-African Masalit tribe. With the rise of the civil war in Sudan in April of 2023, the Janjaweed once again found an opportunity to attack the Masalit tribe and planned on exterminating them. With little hope of returning home to help her people, Sadia uses music to inspire the Masalit community both in Sudan and in Kakuma. She composes songs in Masalit, her mother language, not only as a means of resilience but also to pass on her tradition and her culture to the next generation. Sadia sings with her children and the children of the Masalit community who were born in Kakuma. Sadia signs to keep her community rooted in faith, their values and traditions. She sings so that no one forgets where they came from.

Director, Jean Chapiro

Jean Chapiro is a Student Academy Award winning filmmaker and journalist from Mexico City. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from The University of Pennsylvania in 2021 with a major in Communication, Visual Studies, and Cinema Studies. She holds an MS in Documentary Journalism from Columbia University and is currently completing an MFA in Film at Columbia University. Through filmmaking, Jean seeks to bridge the gap between entertainment, art and journalism. Jean believes that storytelling is at the core of human existence and has the power to cut across political, cultural, and geographical borders.