The Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival, through support from the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation, and in partnership with Generation Arts, a local Digital Arts Education organization, will be presenting a premiere showcase of Youth Film Projects alongside a Digital Exhibit of Graphic Design work all made by local youth in the Santa Clarita Valley. The screening will be held Jan. 12 at 5 p.m. at the Repertory East Playhouse in Old Town Newhall.

This unique event provides an opportunity to celebrate the digital films and design creations that a wide variety of youth, ages 9-17, have produced and created over the last several months through free workshops and classes, primarily supported by the Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation. Classes have been held at the Val Verde Community Center, Newhall Community Center, Newhall Elementary School and in Canyon Country with students who attend Sand Castles. Additionally, a special teen filmmaking class was also conducted at the Newhall Community Center.

“What sets this event apart as a celebration of youth art is the fact that all of the projects were produced and created digitally,” explains SCV Film Festival and Generation Arts Co-Founder Ramon Hamilton, who also taught some of the film classes. “Instead of youth being solely consumers of media, we engage youth and help them become creators of media – this improves their understanding of the media around them, engages their creativity, introduces them to important technology and improves their outlooks for their futures – academically and professionally. We know these programs can have a big impact on students, and I love seeing the excitement in a student as their idea comes to life through either film or graphic design.”

Projects include; live action films, animated films, as well as films that incorporate green screen and digital effects, and graphic design projects. Students learn on state of the art equipment using professional software, such as Final Cut Pro and the Adobe Creative Suite.

“We are very excited about this upcoming Youth Night,” said Jennifer Fischer, also a co-founder of the SCV Film Festival and Generation Arts. “I think people will be surprised and impressed by the quality of the films and by the stories developed by these students, as well as the innovative artwork students are producing, and we hope we get a great turnout for the event, which is free to the public with a suggested donation of $5 to help support future classes.”