Hollywood A-listers are changing the face of American entertainment, one classroom at a time

Editor’s Note: This is the final installment in a three-part series on how Latinos are navigating the entertainment industry.it first appeared in wordthe digital news site of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

by Saida Pagan

It was a sunny Friday morning in Bell Gardens, Calif., a suburb a few miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles where most residents are Latino. At Suva Middle School, an eighth-grade student is busy with work. Their mission is as simple as it is complex: to make their Hollywood dreams come true.

The spacious classrooms at the end of the campus are turned into movie sets twice a week.as part of actor Edward James Olmos Youth Film Programentertainment professionals known as mentors teach students almost every aspect of filmmaking imaginable: from screenwriting to cinematography to editing.

“I’ve never done anything more satisfying in the sense of understanding what we can do to help ourselves,” Olmos said.

The internationally acclaimed activist and star of iconic films such as “Stand and Deliver,” “Selena” and “American Me,” started a youth-oriented education program in the late 1990s, but its most recent iteration has been around since 2013 has existed since.

On this Friday morning, a group of students walked around the classroom with the confidence of seasoned professionals—and laughing like typical teenagers. On this day, their morale is particularly high, preparing to complete the final scene of “Squad Leader”, and they hope the short film will receive rave reviews.

On one side of the room, a group of boys expertly set up camera equipment and lights. Behind them, four girls are rehearsing their big scenes, like the big stars they might become in the future.

One of them is Valerie Ramirez. She was an assistant director on the film, which wrote and produced it.

“It was a really good project and it changed me in a positive way. It made me less shy. I was inspired – I feel lucky,” Ramirez explained.

Olmos has specifically chosen to bring his expanding youth film project to some of California’s most underserved communities. Some 1,450 students in 37 schools now benefit from the program.

“Take the camera in the other direction,” shouts writer-director Gianna Maarten, the mentor and teacher coordinating the production from the center of the room.

In the corner, another group of students sat at their computers, focused on editing shots, while being mentored by actor/producer and youth film program mentor Mia Morricone.

“I believe this program will definitely make a difference. Filmmaking in the Latino community has not been taught. We’re teaching this program to kids who didn’t have that opportunity in the past,” Mollicone said. “They see no barriers. The Youth Film Project is empowering students.”

The YCP experience is not limited to the classroom. It includes summer workshops and help with access to internships with industry partners. Students who have completed the program but want more opportunities may choose to take a more advanced coaching session with a media professional and attend in-person events. At the end of the school year, student-produced films are regularly screened in world-class venues, including the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival, founded by Olmos more than 20 years ago.

June, Suva Secondary School Films, “Squad Leader” is one of 100 YCP projects at the LALIFF festival, currently featured on YouTube.

But teaching kids filmmaking is only part of the project’s mission.

“We’re using film as a medium, but we’re really trying to teach communication, teamwork, self-advocacy, self-confidence, and using their voices,” said YCP program director Erika Sabel Flores. “(These are) everything they can use whether they become filmmakers or not,” she explained.

This quest to level the playing field for diverse communities seeking employment in media has taken on a greater sense of urgency in recent years, calling for more access and truer storytelling.

While Latinos make up nearly 19 percent of the U.S. population, the Directors Guild of America 2020-21 Episode TV Inclusion ReportFor example, it was found that only 9 percent of TV show directors identified themselves as Latino. Similar research also shows that Latinos are also very underrepresented in other professional recreational job categories.

Related stories from the series:

tell our own stories

legend of power

“If Latinos and Latinos are (nearly) 50% of California’s population, why are we only 5% of the main characters in the movie?” Rafael Agustin, Rafael Agustin Rafael Agustin, Rafael Agustin asked while discussing hiring practices in Hollywood. “These jobs need to start looking like taxpayers in this state,” he said in an interview last year.

growing opportunity

Back at Suva Secondary School, student Alexander Figueroa takes a break from his editing assignments to reflect on his semester-long filmmaking journey. He said he found the program transformative. “At first I didn’t think I would enjoy making movies, but after (starting the class) I was really interested.”

Now, Figueroa and his family are already researching colleges that would allow him to study filmmaking — and in the fall, he and Ramirez are both starting at a nearby high school, where a youth film program is also taking place Work.

“I want to keep going — to be a director and make my own films,” Figueroa said.

The good news is that there are more opportunities in education. Other Hollywood celebrities have also started sponsoring their own filmmaking academies in Los Angeles-area public schools. As a result, hundreds of students from low- and middle-income families, first in Los Angeles and eventually other cities across the United States, may be able to take advantage of a film program similar to that of Suva Intermediate.

The latest high-profile effort may be The Roybal School of Film and Television Production Magnet, which opened in the Los Angeles Unified School District in September.

The new film magnet was founded by Oscar-winning actor and activist George Clooney and includes advisory board members such as actors Don Cheadle, Mindy Kaling, Grant Heslov, Eva Longoria and Creative Bryan Lourd, co-chair of the Artists Agency.

The inaugural class of 150 freshmen and sophomores will be mentored by industry professionals, storytellers and other experts as they learn to write, direct, produce and edit film projects.this train Will be embedded in the core academic curriculum, allowing students to graduate with advanced knowledge and skills that could ultimately lead to behind-the-scenes careers in the film industry.

“There are actually 65,000 jobs that they (students) don’t know about,” Clooney said. “These jobs (those) you can’t chase unless you understand them,” he said, adding, “Our goal is to change that and make sure our industry is a part of it,” Clooney said, adding that he Not only for his performances but also for his activism and humanitarian work.

Addressing a crowd of cheering students, educators and guests in the packed auditorium of the Magnet School’s grand opening, Clooney went on to announce that major studios such as Amazon, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery have committed more than $4 million . Help fund the program. The studio and union also pledged to support students during high school and after graduation. “There will be internships, apprenticeships and practical jobs,” Clooney said. “(This) will lead to better and better jobs so we can change the complexity of this industry.”

Clooney also said that if the Roy Barr School of Film and Television’s Magnet program is successful in Los Angeles, the educational model could potentially be adopted in cities such as New York, Chicago and Atlanta.

As the grand opening drew to a close, high school freshmen Brian Zambrano and Michael Ramos lingered in the school auditorium for a moment, recalling what they had just heard that morning.

“Today’s presentation was very inspiring. My career plan is to graduate from this high school, maybe go to college, take an editing course, and then try to get into the film industry,” Zambrano explained.

“It let me know that I have more options for the future, like film editing, script writing, etc.,” Ramos said. “It motivates me.”

After years of trying to open doors to different communities in Hollywood, Olmos and others who have long advocated for early education, job training and mentoring as means of driving transformational change are now finally seeing the fruits of their labor.

Will there be a day when Hollywood will finally look like 21st century America?

“All we need is the courage to take steps to be our best, and we’re getting there,” Olmos said. “The future is in our own hands.”

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pagan export is a Los Angeles-based reporter who recently won three Los Angeles Press Club Entertainment Reporting Awards and first prize in the National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards competition. In 2021, she received two first prizes from the National Association of Telecommunications Officials and Consultants for her documentary work. Born and raised in New York City, Pagán is of Puerto Rican descent. She has worked as a newscaster for television stations across the United States and has appeared on nearly 100 prime-time television shows, major movies, and other photography projects. Pagán holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication with distinction and hosts media and communication webinars.