By Tara Kyle
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
DOWNTOWN — They may not be stars just yet, but a crew of teenage New Yorkers will see their names on the big screen Friday night, when the Tribeca Film Institute presents its annual screening of youth-made media.
"Our City, My Story," will present 11 short films for an audience of students, family and friends at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. The event showcases films by participants in some of TFI's year-round education programs, as well as others selected from the open submissions process.
The show will kick off with "Cityscapes," an atmospheric journey across all five boroughs created by TFI's 20 film fellows, high school juniors and seniors who receive instruction, mentorship and access to panels and screenings.
The rest of the shorts, a mix of narratives, experimental films and documentaries, span topics including violence on the Lower East Side, the struggle to stay in school, and the lack of access to healthy food in some Brooklyn neighborhoods.
In an era where digital technologies have made movie-making faster and easier than ever, TFI's mission is help aspiring filmmakers develop a more sophisticated grasp of fundamentals such as wardrobe and set design.
"With the glut of cheap technology… there is a tendency to be sort of slapdash," said Lisa Lucas, TFI's director of education. "We try to rein that in and treat it like any other art form."
One of the young filmmakers in Friday night's show, 17-year-old Jordan Campbell, said that his experience with TFI's Summer Arts Institute afforded him new connections within the industry and access to equipment such as high definition cameras.
"I feel more secure in my desire by be a filmmaker," said Campbell, whose film, "Takeout," is about a chance encounter between teens from Little Italy and Chinatown. "It's really given me the chance to get my foot in the door."
However, he also learned about some of the less glamorous aspects of filmmaking — such as lugging heavy equipment around outside on day-long shoots in 90 degree heat.
Another young director, Frisly Soberanis of Queens, said that he made his film, "Footsteps" as a message for his two younger brothers about why he turned things around at school and started making smarter choices.
"I want to tell basically my story, and what teenagers have to go through," said Soberanis, 17. "Schoolwork, peer pressure, things people can relate to — love and heartbreak."
"Cityscapes" crew member Chebony Perine, 18, said she wants to become a producer and director in order to help change the way African Americans are portrayed in film and televisions. Too many stories, she said, focus on drug dealers and rappers instead of teachers and doctors.
"I don't think we're represented well," Perine said. "I don't mind the bad stories, but I just want it to be dynamic. I want to see every facet of African American culture represented."
After graduating from her Brooklyn high school this spring, Perine plans to study business and marketing at Howard University. The point is to use that education to help make her dream a reality.
The "Our City, My Story" screening, she said, "makes me feel like there's more to come. This isn't going to be my last premiere."
Movie premiere tickets for the festival can be won by entering DNAinfo's Tribeca Film Festival sweepstakes here.
