MHP students and filmmakers at the 2014 West Chester Film Festival. From left: Victoria, Precious, Jayana, and Leah
Over the past two months, Meridian Hill Pictures’ short student doc Doing It for Me screened at three local film festivals: Bethesda Film Fest, Annapolis Film Festival, and West Chester Film Festival. The film tells the intimate story of two high school students who have dropped out and their best friend who encourages them to improve their circumstances.
On March 21-22, the film made its festival premiere to a sold-out crowd at the Imagination Stage in Bethesda, MD. Co-directors Leah Edwards and Precious Lambert were in attendance on the opening night and for a Q&A session following the screening. Afterwards, they had the chance to mingle with viewers and industry professionals.
In the Q&A, Lambert and Edwards shared with the audience what it was like to document and follow the high-school dropout epidemic in the nation’s capitol from a youth perspective. Quotes from the Q&A were live-tweeted on MHP’s Twitter page:
'Today, filmmaking is much more accessible to young people thanks to advances in technology' - Leah Edwards @grlwthlonghair @sitarartscenter
— MeridianHillPictures (@meridianhillpix) March 23, 2014
'The best way to change the world is to connect w/ the people around you in your own backyard' - Leah Edwards @sitarartscenter #DoingitforMe
— MeridianHillPictures (@meridianhillpix) March 22, 2014
The young filmmakers were very well-received by the Bethesda Film Fest audience:
From audience @BethesdaUP Film Fest: 'Thx to #DoingitforMe students for using the power of the arts to change education' @sitarartscenter
— MeridianHillPictures (@meridianhillpix) March 23, 2014
In the following months, the Doing It for Me crew travelled to the Annapolis Film Festival in Maryland and the West Chester Film Festival in Pennsylvania, where the film was shown alongside the work of other young filmmakers from across the US. Below are some snaps from the festivals:
Sitar students await the opening night screening at Bethesda Film Fest
Precious (far left) and Leah (third from left) participate in an audience Q&A session at Bethesda Film Fest
Leah visits the Annapolis Film Festival
The group poses outside the West Chester Film Festival
A well-deserved ice cream break.
MHP would like to thank all audiences and crew members who made these film festivals a success. Hope to see you again next year!
