For the past three years the Austin Film Society (AFS) has been teaching afterschool film workshops at some 21st CCLC sites in Austin. About 150 elementary, middle, and high school afterschool students participated in the AFS afterschool and summer programs this past year. Students worked hard throughout the year and on May 12th five 21st CCLC winning films were selected from hundreds of statewide entries and screened at the Austin Student Digital Film Festival.

The winning films were:
“Fulmore 911” – Fulmore Middle School
“Webb of One” – Webb Middle School
“Space Attack” – Pearce Middle School
“3:00 Junior High” – Pearce Middle School
“Reading Alive” – Harris Elementary

At “Film Club”, as the Austin Film Society afterschool workshops are known, kids study screen writing, animation, video production, and digital media literacy. They also work in groups to develop and share their creativity with each other. AFS staff like to teach the technical side of film making but they also want their students to have a personal experience through film making. Instructors focus on teaching students to be introspective, encouraging kids to connect with their own personal life journeys and turning these journeys into film stories. Instructors mentor students and focus on character development. Students are encouraged to think critically and creatively while they work in teams to create their final products.

Films subjects range from scary dramas, comedies, and tales about friendship; to stories about abuse, political discussions, and documentaries on social issues. In “Fulmore 911”, Fulmore Middle School students created a documentary-style film about the events of September 11th including a political discussion. Students have also used their films as a form of social activism. Students from Webb Middle School, which was rumored to be to be closing due to low TAKS scores, used their film to voice their opinions on this issue. They expressed their ambivalent feelings in “Webb of One” which depicts students defending their school from monsters. This outstanding film was then screened at a community forum, giving students a voice and the ability to express how they felt about the school situation.

Students in the program can be eligible to have guest speakers, studios tours, screenings at theaters through AFS screening programs, and receive college scholarships to study film.  As the Austin Film Society's involvement with afterschool programs continues to expand, AFS will further encourage career development by directing students to apply for their Internship and Film Referral Program. Through this program, AFS helps place former interns in jobs on feature films. Over 70 participants have found work, thanks to the program.

The beauty of afterschool programs is that it provides a safe haven for students afterschool while allowing them to socialize, be creative, and reinforce what they learn in the school day. By teaching young story tellers to use film as a tool for self-expression and exploration, the Austin Film Society has definitely added more richness to the afterschool environment in Texas. To learn more or make the “Film Club” part of your program, visit the Austin Film Society website at austinfilm.org.