Even after the movie ends, there’s always another strikingly beautiful moment of watching the credits roll for a film you helped bring to life. It always hits me when I see the names of all the people — participants, students, families, teaching artists, and other film advisors —  who traveled together on that challenging, yet amazing journey in creating the film.  As a media teaching artist and documentary filmmaker, I am reminded with every new project that documentary filmmaking is not easy; you have to let go of control, be a team player, and be ready to adapt to change at any moment during the process. It’s both stimulating and exhausting. But it’s always a joy to see my young students create. My phenomenal film students from Sitar Arts Center fully embraced those challenges last Spring and came out with a powerful and heartwarming film about the importance of community support in the face of struggle: IN THE PATH OF MY FATHER.

Students from Sitar Arts Center and Meridian Hill Pictures’ Youth Documentary Program will premiere their latest film — IN THE PATH OF MY FATHER — on Tuesday, September 22 at Sitar’s De laski Theater.

We're thrilled to announce that our student-produced film Doing It for Me will be screened for an audience of policymakers tomorrow at the Department of Education, as part of a discussion about issues related to high school dropouts and dropout prevention.  

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.