Heading to Chicago

Twenty-five John F. Kennedy High School students will travel to Chicago in May to watch the debut of their films on the big screen.

After months of scriptwriting, filming and editing, the JFK students in the school’s film career and technical education (CTE) program will take two 10-minute horror films –– Kidnapper’s Kidnapper and Broken Truths — to the CineYouth film festival in Chicago.

From May 9 to 11, students will see dozens of flicks filmed by their peers across the country. They’ll hear from professional filmmakers, including David Gordon Green, who directed All the Real Girls and Pineapple Express, and Luke Matheny, who won an Academy Award for the short film God of Love.

They’ll attend workshops and panels on everything from reels to resumes. And they hope to come home with an award or two to add to the 2010 Emmy nomination and 2012 Inner City Urban Film Festival win the school has earned.

Kennedy Principal Lisa Luft said the film teacher, Cecil Coston, “assured me they will be bringing back a trophy,” adding that “two years ago we were nominated for an Emmy, so my expectations are high.”

Kennedy’s CTE program integrates writing, filming and directing skills into the typical high school schedule to prepare students for industry jobs after graduation.

Mr. Coston, who also teaches graphic and music CTE programs at JFK, said the film training teaches students a range of skills. They hold auditions, cast characters, study copyright laws and advertise their work. Graduates who pass a CTE exam get a certificate with their diploma.

“The whole idea is for them to be able to go out and find jobs as professionals, in editing, shooting. You may not start out right there; you may be getting coffees, but it helps you get started,” said Mr. Coston.

At least half of the 10 students who graduated from JFK’s film CTE last year currently work in the industry, according to Mr. Coston.

Broken Truths grew out of Stefani Gonzales’ idea to create a movie about Imani, a sociopath, who creates conflict between people who are close to her. No one suspects Imani when the first body is found crumpled in a closet. She convinces her brother and her boyfriend that she’s in danger as she leaves slain bodies stashed in piles of books, laying in the bathtub and sprawled atop the parking lot. The film climaxes with Imani coercing her brother and boyfriend into a fatal encounter deep in the fog of Van Cortlandt Park’s woods.

The cast collaborated to keep the murder methods creative. Every actor created a character and then designed his or her death. Several actors said playing dead was more difficult than it looks.

“I was laughing a lot so it was hard,” said Kyanna Andujar, a junior, who portrayed a student struck down by a speeding car.

Matthew Rodriguez said “he had fun” getting whacked over the head by a two-by-four and being stuffed in a refrigerator. Although his head was stuffed in a pillowcase, not a bag, Romaine Angel said pretending to suffocate was a little nerve racking.

Now that the hard work is over, they say they’re eager to show off their final product.

“I can’t wait for Chicago,” said Angel, a senior and the assistant director of Broken Truths.

Treanda Foster’s script for Kidnapper’s Kidnapper has been in the works since September. The junior said the idea to document the tumultuous breakup of two high school students, Angela and Chad, “just came to her,” when Mr. Coston gave her class an assignment to come up with two characters and put them in conversation.

In Treanda’s initial synopsis, Angela’s excitement over being accepted at UCLA quickly dissipates when her boyfriend Chad demands that she refuse the offer to stay with him. Chad’s friend jokes that he should kidnap Angela, but the humor is lost on Chad, who does just that.

Treanda said during roundtable discussions, her classmates suggested having someone beat Chad to the kidnapping. She and assistant director Jonathan Abreu Jr. decided to conclude the film by having Billy, who has a crush on Angela, pluck her off the street corner, where Chad has arranged to meet her.

After months of polishing the plotline, Treanda and Jonathan held auditions, which were open to students who attend any of the eight schools on the Kennedy campus. They began filming in mid-March. Then came the editing.

“Editing takes the most time. It takes probably ten minutes for every one minute of film,” said Jonathan.

Although their short has already been sent to CineYouth, Treanda and Jonathan are still busy. They’re reworking Kidnapper’s Kidnapper for the upcoming Inner City Urban Film Festival and Kennedy’s own movie premiere event on May 31, which doesn’t require shorts to be ten minutes or less.

Meeting on public schools

Northwest Bronx For Change, a progressive organization that grew out of Bronxites’ campaign to elect President Barack Obama, has organized a forum on public education.

Leonie Haimson, executive director of Class Size Matters, will address the Northwest Bronx For Change at the Benjamin Franklin Reform Democratic Club, located at 304 W. 231st St., from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., on Saturday, May 18.

The event is free.

For more information, contact Louise Warren, chair of the Northwest Bronx for Change’s Education Committee, at louisegwarren@yahoo.com.

AmPark health fair

The AmPark Neighborhood School, PS 344, will host its first annual health fair in the playground behind the 3981 Hillman Ave. school on Saturday, April 20, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The free event will include a teddy bear bandaging clinic for children, a lecture on emergency preparedness from the Red Cross, raffles, games and food.

For more information, contact Beth Stonick at beth.stonick@gmail.com.