Steppin' In The Hood

Our first project was with inner-city teens at the Preston Taylor Boys and Girls Club/YMCA with special guest director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow, Black Snake Moan). Brewer (who has been a close friend of the festival since 2001 when his film The Poor and Hungry won our Dreammaker Award for the Best Feature film) joined our film project as director and mentor for the teens’ short film Steppin’ in the Hood, a drama about kids from the hood dealing with love, gangbanging, and a talent for stepping. We documented the four-week process of making the short in the documentary It’s About Steppin’ in the Hood, directed by Julie Alexander. The completed documentary and the teens' short film screened during the 2007 Nashville Film Festival to a packed crowd of friends, parents, and many interested filmgoers. Brewer and Memphis hip hop artist Al Kapone (who composed the music for the film) joined director Julie Alexander, the professional film crew, and most importantly the teens, who received a standing ovation at the film’s conclusion.

The Letter

Our second project was with teens at the Alternative Learning Center in Williamson County.  Lou Chanatry directed teens in making the short film The Letter, a story about a teen that gets wrongly accused of cheating and must go to juvenile hall. The film screened along with the “making of” documentary The Boys Behind The Letter during the 2007 NaFF, and again the participating teens’ efforts were warmly acknowledged.