KIDS FIRST! Jury Blog

Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige’s journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star. KIDS FIRST! Adult Reviewer Kimbirly O. comments, ” When I heard about this film, I thought, “What a crazy title!” Well, it is not so crazy; it is enchanting.” See her full review below.

Fighting With My Family
By Kimbirly O., KIDS FIRST! Adult Juror

When I heard about this film, I thought, “What a crazy title!” Well, it is not so crazy; it is enchanting. This film is based on a true story and follows the antics of a former wrestler and his family, as they make a living wrestling in small venues in northern England. The family is in the business, and the kids dream of making it in big in the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment).

While wrestling is not my jam and the film is slow at times, it captured my heart with big family values – life lessons about believing in oneself and each member of one’s family. The sibling wrestlers Saraya (Florence Pugh) and Zak Knight (Jack Lowden) have trained for the big stage of wrestling since they were young. In fact, Zak reminds us that this was his dream since he was three. When they get the call from a WWE scout named Hutch (Vince Vaughn), it is a dream come true. On the other hand, is it?

Florence Pugh is fantastic and I cheered for her throughout the film. Her family brings a lot of comedy and grit to their roles. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is in all the trailers and has some key scenes. He will definitely help sell tickets! It is great to see Vince Vaughn in a positive and upbeat role.

I give this film 3 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 8 to 18, as well as adults. The stunts are detailed and outstanding. The choreography is flawless. The casting is great. The costumes are authentic and there are many laugh-out-loud lines. You do not have to be clan of grapplers in Norwich, England to like this film! The film screened at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and opens in theaters nationwide February 22, 2019. Look for it!

Shining A Spotlight on Women in Literature and Hollywood
Hosted by 72andSunny & LAI Communications

The 2nd Annual Black History Month celebration once again shines a spotlight on women and girls of color in Hollywood and media using literature as its entry point. The evening featured dramatic readings from the works by New York Times best-selling authors, Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant, along with the newest release of the novel, Blurred Lines, by Courtney Parker and Mona Scott Young. An empowering panel discussion followed on the current state of women of color in Hollywood and media. The panel also highlighted recent research studies by Baylor University as well as Creative Artists Agency and shift7. The former study found that movies starring women of color had strong staying power (which equals profitability) in movie theaters on an average of 20 weeks. The latter study looked at movies, from 2014 to 2017, and found that films with female leads earned more than their male-led counterparts. With all of the great successes and progress for women in 2018, there is still more work to do. We “Gotta Keep on Tryin!”

Moderator: Madeline Di Nonno, CEO, Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media; Panelist: Yolanda Brinkley, Founder, Diversity in Cannes; Kellee Edwards, Travel Expert & Television Host; Sharon Liggins, PR Strategist; Tyrha M. Lindsey-Warren, PhD/MBA, Business Executive, Artist, Entrepreneur; Courtney Parker, VP Alternative Programming, Adaptive Studios and Co-author, Blurred Lines; Actors: Joni Bovill, Napiera Groves, Benita Krista Nall, Fredericka Meek

Gotta Keep On Tryin’!
By Samantha Marcus, KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 19

I absolutely loved attending the stage reading and panel discussion about gender in media. It left me feeling empowered, driven and motivated. While there aren’t as many women in media as there are men, we can change that. After hearing about five successful women finding their voices and making a difference in the world, I can’t wait to do the same.

Hosted by the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, this event highlighted the dynamics of gender in media, shining an immense spotlight on women of color in literature and Hollywood. Women of different races, backgrounds and lifestyles gathered to view stage readings from two pivotal novels: Gotta Keep On Tryin’! by Virginia Deberry and Donna Grant, and Blurred Lines by Mona-Scott Young and Courtney Parker. Both novels illuminate the power of women and recognize how women need to be a driving force in changing the way they are represented in society today. The panel discussed their career paths and struggles within our ever-growing and diverse society

The panel consisted of Yolanda Brinkley, Keller Edwards, Sharon Liggins, Dr. Tyrha Warren and Courtney Parker. Each woman emphasized how never giving up is imperative in making your dreams come true. I admire how Courtney Parker, co-author of Blurred Lines, personalized her writing passions by sharing how she questioned Goldilocks and the Three Bears, when she was only four years old. Kellee Edwards developed her own show Travel Channel after she filmed herself traveling the world on YouTube.

My favorite part was meeting Geena Davis. She is such an inspiration to me and she was so happy to take a picture with me. I aspire to be like her when I grow up. The message of this event is to find your voice. It wasn’t easy for these women, but once they did, nothing was impossible. This event was appropriate for ages 13 to 18, as well as adults. Teenage years are divine in a young woman’s life, so make the most of them. To learn more about the Geena Davis Foundation, become a member and attend their monthly events, go to www.seejane.org. To all the young women reading this, promise me you’ll let nothing stop you. If men can do it, so can we!

Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made
Shining A Spotlight on Women in Literature and Hollywood
By Jordan M., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 12

On February 20, the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media hosted a See Jane Salon celebrating the 20th anniversary of Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made by New York Times best-selling authors Virginia Berry and Donna Grant. Held in honor of Black History Month, the event was a lively discussion about the state of people of color in media.

Founded by Academy-Award winning actor Geena Davis, the Institute is a research-based organization in the media and entertainment industry focused on eliminating bias, highlighting gender balance and challenging stereotypes.

The event featured dramatic readings from some of the authors’ most popular books including Tryin’ to Sleep in the Bed You Made, Gotta Keep on Trying, What Doesn’t Kill You and Far from the Tree. Readings featured actors Roseanne Currry, Magaly Coleman, Lisa Wilkerson and Harry Lennix.

Each of the performances took the audience through a range of topics from friendships to a troubled marriage to young womanhood. Some of the scenes were humorous and others were more traumatic and emotional. It was interesting to see all of the books portrayed live, a much different experience than just reading them. It was like watching a play in action with each book a different scene.

The readings were followed by a panel discussion on the state of people of color in the media. The panel was moderated by Madeline Di Nonno, CEO of the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. Madeline kicked off the discussion by asking each of the panelists to share their journey to success, including challenges, and then provide advice for breaking into the industry and share their thoughts on where media is now. It was a lively discussion filled with humor and honesty.

Authors Virginia DeBerry and Donna Grant shared their journey to becoming best-selling authors and the challenges of breaking into the literary industry as women of color. They discussed their journey from meeting as plus size models in the fashion industry, to becoming best-selling authors. Tyrha Lindsey-Warren discussed her experience working in television and film development with the Creative Artists Agency and Edmonds Entertainment. Actor Harry Lennix, currently on NBC’s hit show The Blacklist, discussed his process to becoming a successful actor from stage to screen. He noted that in order to become an actor, you need to study the work of those that you admire. Entrepreneur Yolanda Brinkley, discussed founding Beyond Borders: Diversity in Cannes. The goal of her program is to highlight diversity in independent film at the international festival each year. Yolanda discussed the importance of people of color in Hollywood having a seat at the table. Because Beyond Borders is not yet an official part of the festival, Yolanda stressed pushing hard to advocate for what you are passionate about doing. She is still striving to make it an official event, but shared how she works to reach out to actors and filmmakers of color to get the word out and the event is growing each year.

Talking with author Virgina DeBerry about the direction of women and people of color in the media, DeBerry stated “We need to continue to get better representation, especially for women in the media. We are so interesting and have so many facets and the media tends to pigeon hole people. We need to be able to break out of the slot and show all that we have to offer.”

The event and the panel discussion was inspiring. It was good for the audience members to not only hear the journeys of the panelists, but get their advice on how to begin journeys of their own.

With a new generation of critically acclaimed genre films making big bucks and becoming indispensable internet memes, ever wonder why certain movies just seem to keep you on the edge of your seat more than others? The final night of the 2019 DCU features a crack team of cutting-edge midnight movie mavericks, whose collected works have shocked and thrilled millions of audience members the world over.

Director’s Close Up: Thrill Seekers: Directing Dynamic Genres 
By Gerry O., KIDS FIRST! Film Critic, Age 16 

In the cloudy evening of February 27, 2019, Film Independent hosted the final panel of their month-long event, Director’s Close-Up. The event featured many directors in the horror genre such as Fade Alvarez (writer/director, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, Don’t Breathe), Drew Dowdle (writer/producer, Waco, Quarantine), John Eric Dowdle (writer/director, Waco, Quarantine),  Aaron Katz (writer/director, Gemini, Land Ho!) and Daniel Stamm (director, Fear the Walking Dead, The Last Exorcism). The panel was moderated by Scott Mantz (film critic, Collider).

These filmmakers had no interest in monsters, giant bugs, ghosts, or ghouls. They all wished to invest their time into a much deeper side of terror. Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe made the audience afraid to move or make a sound. Drew and John Dowdle’s As Above causes viewers to feel claustrophobic, struggling to breathe and wishing for more room. While it may seem simple to terrify an audience, Stamm pointed out a fundamental crux of horror filmmaking:  There is only a finite amount of methods to scare someone, causing a completely brand-new concept in horror to be a rare sight. 

Horror has also been the place for many directors with smaller budgets to undertake. Drew and John attempt to make their film like a business for investors. They illustrate a detailed step-by-step plan that allows the film to have high chances of making a profit. Their strategy gives investors a clear end goal, motivating them to contribute to the film. They did add though, that a smaller budget can perhaps make a film even more terrifying, since the crew cannot afford to actually show what causes the fear. Merely hinting at the presence of something can greatly increase the intensity. Katz thought that dealing with a low-budget properly can make the film even more exciting and Stamm believed that a micro-budget and no budget gives you true creative freedom to do what you wish instead of running after investors. After receiving funding, all filmmakers go through a lengthy period of pre-production, but the exact details of what should occur in pre-production differed between panelists.

Alvarez personally only does storyboards if it works for the crew, such as a car crash that requires careful planning and coordination. The Dowdles similarly both opt to do them,  depending on what the scene has and they also added that they only show storyboards to department heads. Showing it to all the crew can lead to confusion if the director decides to skip or modify a shot. Katz prefers a different method entirely – overheads of the scene. He likes to go to the location where filming is taking place and see how the different shots of the scene work with each other. After planning and filming a movie, a filmmaker must now complete the tedious process of editing the project.

While most consider the film to be fully put together in the editing room, Alvarez believes that editing can only do so much. Production and pre-production make the film. No amount of editing can drastically raise the quality of the film. Drew Dowdle believes three films are being made – one in pre-production, one in production and one in post-production. Drew and John Dowdle added that you cannot begin to think about sound design until the editing room. In horror, sound makes up at least 50% of the quality of a movie. Alvarez’s Don’t Breathe and the year-old A Quiet Place by John Krasinski demonstrate the power of sound. In both films, the audience becomes terrified of every noise that comes from the screen. But this amount of intensity and fear only exists with masterful sound design and editing.

The panel added some important lessons for all filmmakers. Drew and John Dowdle stated that, “as a filmmaker, you cannot work on a film focusing on making money back, but must focus on the craft of cinema itself.” Stamm added the important lesson that many indie and new filmmakers attempt to make a movie look as close to “Hollywood style” as possible. In truth, good films are those that stand out and look different from the norm. The panel showcased the intricate art involved in causing fear in movies and the many lessons to learn when trying to create a film. 

Film Independent’s Director’s Close Up series, as a whole, truly showcases the deep complexities of being the director of a film and how much goes into making each film we enjoy on the screen.