Documentary Filmmaking & Activism Workshop for Teens

Join Jalena Keane-Lee, award-winning filmmaker and director of Standing Above the Clouds, for a documentary workshop for teens. Taking a deeper look at documentary filmmaking through a social justice and activism lens, Jalena will lead students through workshopping a documentary approach to a social cause. Students will be guided by the question “What is a story worth telling?” and collaboratively brainstorm a mock plan and treatment. The filmmaker will screen her short precursor to the feature, also called Standing Above the Clouds, and give a presentation on her career in filmmaking as well as the documentary process from idea to completion.
—Soph Schultz Rocha

Students will have the chance to ask the director about her career and any advice for getting started in documentary filmmaking. Students are encouraged to come with a social justice cause or community issue that is important to them as well as a notebook!

This workshop runs for two hours and is open to students ages 13–18; space is limited. This workshop is for students only, parents and guardians may drop off their students.