CineVegas promotes teen film efforts

Monday, Nov. 27, 2000 | 10:26 a.m.

The CineVegas International Film Festival opens Tuesday, beginning a six-day cinematic event that will play host to an influx of national and international directors and actors.

And for the second year the festival takes on a youthful look.

Among the mix will be 17-year-old Ely Kim from Las Vegas. The young filmmaker from Advanced Technologies Academy, who placed first in this year's CineVegas Youth In Film competition at CineVegas and will have his newest short film screened Saturday.

Kim placed second in last year's competition.

For the past week, Kim's been looking at different ways to promote his work, an effort he said won't only help market himself, but sell a better image of teen life Las Vegas.

"I feel we're seen as a one-dimensional place," Kim said, adding that the dimension is a mix of "service industry and tourism."

After seeing "Progress," his two-minute digital video depicting the fluctuating emotions of teenagers from his high school, Kim said he hopes "people will first say, 'Wow, a 17-year-old made this ... this kid's in Las Vegas. What's going on in Las Vegas?' "

Organizers of CineVegas are hoping for a similar type of response.

Choosing the theme "Nevada is Not a Wasteland," CineVegas is providing high school and middle school students in Nevada the opportunity to show the rest of the world how Las Vegas youths live their lives in what many see as a town geared only toward adults, lacking in activities available to kids.

This is the second year students were asked to participate in the festival where films, such as "Snow Falling On Cedars," "Gods and Monsters" and "Star Trek: The Insurrection" were played for some of their first audiences.

Amy Carrelli, Youth In Film coordinator for CineVegas, said the topic "Nevada is Not a Wasteland" was open to interpretation. Students turned in videos featuring themes ranging from extracurricular activities to ranch life in Elko County to the local band scene. Kim's videos, this year and last, provide a social message.

He took statements such as, "I am not what everyone wants me to be," "tired, scared," "I am funny, cute and happy," and "I am hungry and pondering," and superimposed them over scenes of students brushing against each other in a crowded hallway, a couple kissing, girls gossiping and students fighting.

"Those are the emotions you basically experience in high school," Kim said. "I tried to show that life can be hard and tough and at the same time easy."

Sasha Perry, a junior at Vo-Tech High School who goes by the name "Sasha Edge" created a nine-minute video titled "Army of Kids," which placed third.

The video is named after a song by local band Faded Grey that has become a theme song among kids following the local music scene. It pays homage to local bands and kids who attend the shows, she said.

"The kids are really dedicated," she said. "We may be totally different, have a different taste in music but we'll all show up for the same show."

Perry has been going to local band performances for three years and said she wants to tour with bands, making live videos of their performances. She says Las Vegas has a limited music scene compared with other cities, but that certain bands, such as Curl Up and Die, Faded Grey and Organic "are pulling the Las Vegas music scene."

"People are always talking about music scenes in California and Utah," she said. "No one seems to give Las Vegas credit for what is going on down here. There's a ton of bands."

"Army of Kids" is just a preview to a full-length film, Perry said. She is making and plans to distribute her work to local record and clothing stores. Some of the businesses host concerts and sponsor youth activities -- such as Balcony Lights, a music store near UNLV that shows independent films and encourages artistic efforts among teens.

"People just think the Strip is all there is to Las Vegas," Perry said. "But there's so much more."

Although every middle and high school in Nevada was invited to compete in the film contest, Carrelli said not every student has access equipment available at schools, such as Advanced Technologies Academy, a magnet school for computer technology, or Vo-Tech.

"The kids just need more access to the equipment, to film-making schools and know-how to put together a video or news broadcast," Carrelli said.

"The students have the drive," she said, "but not the technical know-how."

To enable young filmmakers, editing and filming workshops were provided this year at UNLV and at Lied Discovery Children's Museum. The Youth In Film program teeters each year, depending on whether there is enough funding to make it possible. CineVegas is trying to look up to cities such as San Francisco that have an active film community that involves youth, Carrelli said.

"I think kids in Las Vegas are really driven by advertising," she said. "Their access to culture is a lot harder here. It's not in their face. It's not something they think is cool. That's why we're doing this."

In addition to learning about the production of short films, nearly 1,000 Clark County students will be bussed in for selected screenings. They will hear directly from actresses such as Kerry Washington from "Our Song," a film about three friends facing life's challenges in a housing project in New York City; and family members from the documentary "Legacy." Diana Williams, producer of "Our Song" will also talk to the students.

"I love what the film festival is doing for our city," said Kim, who was a sophomore when he learned how to make digital movies and made five short of them prior to CineVegas.

Kim was using a video camera in junior high to movies for class. His sister, a film major at UNLV, went to Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts and was doing video work while Kim was in junior high, giving him an early introduction.

Kim said he doesn't plan on going into filmmaking, but having an opportunity to participate in CineVegas makes him "a more well-rounded individual in various art forms." He plans to continue studying graphic design after high school.

This will be his last year he can participate in Youth In Film, but next year plans to compete in CineVegas' adult short-film category. Placing in an international film festival is something he said he'll add to his resume.

Kim's computer art and graphic design instructor at Advanced Technologies Academy, is also pleased that her students have an opportunity like this.

"Not only are the students creating and promoting their work," she said. "They're developing an audience. When they compete at that level they are competing with all filmmakers."