Steven Spielberg once said, “You shouldn’t dream your film, you should make it.” And he should know – one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Spielberg has made many of his dreams a reality. They include award-winning favorites such as “Jaws”, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”, “Schindler’s List”, “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial”, “Jurassic Park”, “The Color Purple”, “Close Encounters of the Third Kind”, “Saving Private Ryan” and many more.
Spielberg, as well as other great film directors like George Lucas and Martin Scorsese, all had humble beginnings. Spielberg’s interest in film started at age 12, when he made his first home movie: a train wreck involving his toy Lionel trains. Lucas of “Star Wars” fame pursued his interest in film as a young man, after he was injured in a car crash that derailed his original goal of becoming a racecar driver. As a boy, Scorsese had asthma and could not play sports or take part in any activities with other children. It was at this stage in his life that he developed a passion for cinema. Scorsese’s “Mean Streets”, “Taxi Driver”, “Raging Bull” and “Goodfellas” are often cited among the greatest films ever made.
Justin R. Brown is an Emmy-winning writer, director, editor and sometimes actor who has been with the Flint Youth Film Festival since its beginning. He has a background in the world of media and independent production, working in various roles with iMichigan Productions and the Peaceful Warriors Foundation, as well as founding his own production company MopHead Artistics. Brown teaches Media Production, Documentary Productions, Media Entrepreneurship, and Film Studies at Mott Community College.
So, is it possible that future great filmmakers will hail from the Flint area? Yes, it is!
To that end, the Flint Youth Film Festival was started in 2016 by a group of local media to get young people interested in film and encourage them to make their own films and submit them to be shared with the community. This year’s festival was hosted on July 25-28.
“As we’ve continued, we have seen more and more young people with an interest in film creating and submitting works,” said Festival Director, Justin Brown. “The mission of the festival is to introduce the art of filmmaking to young people between the ages of 13 and 25. It provides these young filmmakers with venues to develop their storytelling talents and provides opportunities to share creative work with peers, the public, and professional filmmakers and screenwriters.”
“We’re going into our tenth season in 2025 and we’re ready to celebrate that milestone with the community and hope that they’ll come join us next July.”
Justin Brown, Festival Director
Over the years, hundreds of young people have participated in the festival. “As far as I know, none of them have become notable filmmakers; but we’re always keeping our eyes and ears open for that, “Brown shared. “We get hundreds of entries each year and by the time we have gone through all of them, we have anywhere between 90 and 100 films selected to be part of our festival.”
The FYFF uses their social media pages to announce when submissions are open. Many participants use FilmFreeway, a website that allows filmmakers to find film festivals and easily submit their works. In recent years, the FYFF has expanded from local participants to include filmmakers from across Michigan and the United States.
According to Brown, the submissions are judged by a group of professional filmmaking and media individuals who score the films and provide the participants with feedback, as well. “The judges are looking for things such as the quality of the story, the directing, editing and persuasiveness,” he said. “What they’re looking at is the overall appeal of the film and what makes it stand out.”
All selected films are shown at the festival or online, and the winning works are screened in the Media Gallery at the Flint Institute of Arts throughout the month of August.
Assistant Director Alexandria Douglas addresses 2024 FYFF attendees.
In addition to opportunities for young filmmakers to express their creativity, collaborate with others and gain experience with professional filmmakers, the festival also aims to help young filmmakers improve their communication and literacy skills in preparation for college and careers.
Throughout the year, the FYFF offers a variety of activities to help young filmmakers develop their skills, including workshops, online tutorials, classroom visits and networking events. An in-person and online event in July features films from young filmmakers that audiences can view on the festival’s website and YouTube channel and vote for their favorite to win the Audience Choice award. The festival features an awards ceremony that includes achievement awards for entrants ages 13-15, runner-up and first place awards for other categories, and craft awards in directing, writing and cinematography for filmmakers ages 16-25. The ceremony is usually broadcast live in mid-July on the festival’s YouTube channel.
“Our team that puts together the film festival makes sure everything runs smoothly and properly,” Brown stated. “We all care about the festival and do our best to make sure the entrants who make it enjoy their experience. “We’re going into our tenth season in 2025 and we’re ready to celebrate that milestone with the community and hope that they’ll come join us next July.”
To view the entire list of 2024 award-winners, visit flintyouthfilmfestival.com/winners
