Denver Post – Colorado student directors get congressional viewing for documentaries

YDA will be making waves in Washington DC this May!  CLICK HERE to read the full article

By THE DENVER POST | newsroom@denverpost.com
May 9, 2016 at 5:58 am

Four Colorado student filmmakers will premiere their documentaries next week at a congressional screening in Washington, D.C., where U.S. Rep. Diana DeGette, active on the issues raised in the films, also will speak.

The students are graduates of the Youth Documentary Academy in Colorado Springs, which targets youth from underrepresented backgrounds. The YDA is housed at the Bemis School of Art and the Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center in association with the Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Institute.

Antreise Lacy, a senior at Widefield High School, directed “Shade,” an exploration of the politics of skin color among African-American girls. Bailey Francisco, a graduate of Fountain/Fort Carson High School, directed “After War,” which follows the impact of his father’s traumatic brain injury while serving in Iraq on the family.

Madison Legg, a junior at Cheyenne Mountain High School, directed “Under the Wire,” which looks at teen suicide through the lens of a family member’s attempted suicide last year. Stevie Earnest, a senior at Sand Creek High School, directed “Both Genders,” a film about a transgender youth’s trials with family and community.

The films, which range from around 8 to 14 minutes long, will be screened May 17 at the Rayburn House Office Building.