WE EXIST explores Chicago and CineYouth Film Festival

WE EXIST, directed by Anabelle Martinez, was an official selection of the 2018 CineYouth Film Festival. In addition, Anabelle was awarded the $1500 Prodigy Camp Scholarship.  Prodigy Camp hosts 20 of the most promising youth filmmakers in Seattle, WA. each Summer.  Anabelle is looking forward to attending in August. Anabelle shared the following about attending CineYouth this past April.

Going to the Cineyouth festival in Chicago was an amazing experience. Not only was it awesome getting to screen my film to a group of people who were there to see the section of films about LGBT+ issues, but it was amazing to interact with other filmmakers both my age, and older. I got to talk to people about what going further with filmmaking would look like. I was very very sad to leave Chicago, and it was one of the best environments I’ve ever been in.

I don’t have a super good selection of photos, but I saw the botanical gardens. I also hung out with a lot of people I met there. The first photo is a 35mm photo I took of a boy Jacob, and we took the red line to a cemetery and just kind of hung out and talked there. The second is Andrew and he moved from Florida to Chicago to and is starting up projects for artists to thrive in the DIY scene. It was funny while I was talking to all these people in my head I was just like “hmm I could make a film about all of you.”

This is Ricardo. We met for breakfast in the LGBT+ neighborhood otherwise known as boystown, and settled a debate on whether pancakes or waffles were better. Then we went to the zoo and botanical gardens, because apparently that stuff is free! My favorite thing that he said was “the future is non binary”.