Their assignment was simple: Create a five-minute film on the subject of service to their fellow citizens.
But the call for entries came from no less a patron than President Obama himself.
Mr. Obama delivered opening remarks Friday at the second annual White House Student Film Festival in the East Wing. The theme this year was “the impact of giving back” — a clarion answered by thousands of youths, 15 of whose projects ultimately were selected for the event.
“As these young people are showing us, it’s a message that can be told powerfully through the medium of film,” Mr. Obama said. “It puts us in the shoes of people potentially on the other side of the world, in neighborhoods not very different from the ones that we grew up in.”
Mr. Obama pointed to three female auteurs in the audience who “adopted” a highway as part of a cleanup project, an effort that has been replicated by other young people around the world. He quoted the crafters of that particular project in how it changed their views of society.
“’In today’s society, we’re often told how much we are different and how much divides us,’” he quoted the filmmakers as saying. “’But through our charity and community service, we realized how much we exist together.’ That’s a powerful statement.
“We don’t know what these new connections will produce down the road,” the president said, “but if these movies are any indication, I know that these young people are going to make an even bigger effort.”
Although he did not stay for the films, Mr. Obama assured the would-be Scorseses that he gave them “a big thumbs up. I’m very proud of them.”
The film program began with a recorded message from J.J. Abrams, director of the two most recent “Star Trek” films and the upcoming “Star Wars” sequel. Mr. Abrams saluted the artists and said he looks forward to working with them someday.
The filmmakers ranged in age from 6 to those on the cusp of graduating from high school. A second-grade class from Boulder, Colorado, entered a film called “We Starts With Me” about community service efforts. Eight-year-old Sadie Melendez, part of that class, said she enjoyed “all the photos you have to take.”
From nearby, her beaming mother said, “You’re at the White House!”
The films were as varied as the areas of the country where they were produced. Some were short documentaries; others were traditional narratives. Riley Beres’ “Sockumentary” followed the teenager’s efforts to get clean socks, undergarments and feminine products to homeless people. “C.H.A.M.P.S.” was a hip-hop-style music video made in a male mentoring program.
In his remarks, Mr. Obama touted a mentoring program to connect the youthful artists with established Hollywood filmmakers. Some of them, such as two-time Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank, were on hand for the event.
“Art saved my life,” Miss Swank told the crowd. “Growing up, I was treated like an outsider because my family was poor. So I escaped into books and films like ’The Elephant Man,’ ’E.T.’ and ’The Wizard of Oz.’ Those movies inspired me because they were about being different. And I knew I wanted to become an actor so I could learn more about myself, about where I belonged and how I fit into the world.
“The most important person when it comes to finding and achieving success is you,” the Oscar winner for “Boys Don’t Cry” and “Million Dollar Baby” proclaimed. “What makes your heart pound? That is what you’re meant to do. So trust your heart. Do it [and] get out of your own way. And when it seems there’s an insurmountable [obstacle] in front of you — and there will be many — that is the time to double your strength and focus.”
Next to introduce a set of the shorts was actor Kal Penn, who served for two years as Mr. Obama’s youth liaison in the Office of Public Engagement and now works on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities.
Mr. Penn, known for his turns in the goofy “Harold & Kumar” movies as well as for being a producer, touted his performing arts high school education in New Jersey as setting him on his path. He also pointed to the importance of arts education, particularly those in minority groups. (Mr. Penn is an Indian-American.)
“You all have an incredible vision,” he told the young directors. “You have done something that few people have done, period.”
British director Steve McQueen, whose “12 Years a Slave” won the 2013 Academy Award for best picture, said that when he was young man, films “opened my eyes to the world and made me realize how similar we all are. What made me want to be a filmmaker is the power of cinema and that it can actually change things. As an artist, you can actually move things forward and lead in certain aspects of life.”
“Glee” star Amber Riley introduced the segment “The Sound of the Future,” films for which music was especially prominent.
“I am proud to think that I was part of a show that had a message,” Miss Riley said of the Fox TV show. “It wasn’t there just for entertainment but to talk about social issues. I am so honored to be here today. You guys are showing your films at the White House. Aren’t you guys excited?”
During a break in the program, Miss Swank told The Washington Times that “it’s so extraordinary to see these young kids to see them making films about their community and literally rolling up their sleeves. It’s just a reminder of how incredible the vehicle of film is to get[ting] messages out.”
Mr. McQueen concurred, telling The Times that the youths were “engaging in a medium that can actually do something, change people’s attitudes and ideas about what is possible as well. [It’s great] to have this young generation of Spielbergs and John Fords, to have their movies here at the White House.”
• Eric Althoff can be reached at twt@washingtontimes.com.
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