Girls! Camera! Action! Paving a Way for Women & Girls

Article by Sherehe Hollins

Visual storytelling is swiftly becoming a more common means through which people communicate their lived experiences, hopes for the future and social concerns. As digital technology makes the field of filmmaking more accessible to broader audiences, the “Girls! Camera! Action!” program, created by the San Diego based non-profit organization, Animate a Way, is providing a platform for youth to bring awareness to pressing social concerns through filmmaking.

The organization, started in 2012 and established as a 501c3 in 2014 by Founder/ Development Director, Karla Duarte and Co-Founder/ Executive Director Steven Topham, teaches youth “In Motion” and “Stop Motion” techniques that culminate in the creation and exhibition of Public Service Announcements that address topics such as teen dating and domestic violence.

The purpose of “Girls! Camera! Action!” is to provide girls with the “tools they need to travel along the journey of dating safely, intelligently and proudly.” The program is designed to “tap into the potential of every youth (in an effort to) create advocates for a better future.”

Duarte, vividly recalls the moment the idea for “Girls! Camera! Action!” was born. “It all started the moment the doctor told me I was having a girl. Suddenly it became a desire of mine to create a better society for my girls. I wanted to find a creative way to help them gain confidence and become brave women. I saw it as a personal responsibility to help create empathy in the community.”

“Girls! Camera! Action!” currently serves 8-10 girls at Montgomery Middle School in Linda Vista. As the program grows Duarte and Topham seek creative means of fundraising that will allow them to expand Animate A Way’s programs to additional sites. “Girls! Camera! Action’s!” upcoming fundraiser, the LUNAFEST film festival, will be held this Thursday March 26th at 7pm inside of the University of San Diego’s Hahn University Center.

LUNAFEST, which was created in 2000 by CEO/ Founder of the nutritional Clif Bar Company, Kit Crawford, is designed to ‘promote awareness about women’s issues, highlight women filmmakers, and bring women together in their communities.’ For fifteen years the LUNAFEST has been partnering nationally with non-profit organizations that serve women and girls in order to, “celebrate and inspire women through the art of film and community fundraising”. Animate a Way and The Hahn Women’s Center at USD partnered with LUNAFEST to host the fundraiser.

The festival will showcase eight short films, whose stories range from a group of talented singers and musicians who challenge gender and social norms by being a part of an all female mariachi band, to highlighting the stories of women who are making strides within traditionally male dominated fields and industries, to the story of a woman affectionately referred to as “the grandmother of punk”, who at 82 years old, hasn’t forgotten how to be “a rebel”. The program will also feature a short film by one of Animate A Way’s alumni’s on how five women in San Diego discovered their self-worth. The festival will conclude with a panel discussion by San Diego women leaders.

Duarte affirms that LUNAFEST is for everyone. While the event celebrates women’s voices it welcomes anyone who “wants to see change in the world.” As a co-facilitator for “Girls! Camera! Action!”, Duarte assures that one of the greatest rewards of being a part of the program is hearing a young girl say, “If I can do this I can do anything!”

For more information regarding purchasing tickets to the LUNAFEST film festival and to learn more about Animate a Way’s programs please contact [email protected] and visit www.lunafest.org and www.animateaway.org