This fall we were very excited to bring Young Filmmakers Academy 2017: “Creating Peace” to Peabody and offer a new after school filmmaking program for students in grades 4-8. The program began in late August and culminated with a red carpet premiere at the Virginia Film Festival November 11.

Designed to engage youth in authentic film production, Young Filmmakers Academy (YFA) is a collaboration between the Virginia Film Festival and Light House Studio that introduces students to the challenges of filmmaking. Students work in teams to write, produce, and edit short films around a common structure. After the writing, directing, filming, and editing are complete, the YFA honors the Young Filmmakers with a red carpet premiere of the films.

Our students created two 2-minute films for the competition. Dark Room explores the interconnectedness of individuals working to create peace and overcome challenges. At heart, it shows that when we hurt one another we, in fact, hurt ourselves. Creating Peace: A Charlottesville Documentary features a wide range of voices and perspectives in the local community and affirms personal contributions toward the common goal of achieving peace.