ST. LOUIS — A new film created by young filmmakers in St. Louis focuses on the critical discussion around gun violence in schools and communities.
It premiered at the MX Theater in St. Louis on Saturday afternoon, days after two teens were shot and killed in the St. Louis area.
For six years, On The Set Summer Film Camp has taught kids ages 10 to 18 all the aspects of filmmaking in St. Louis. Children are taught acting, directing, cinematography, and producing.
The film "From Blind Eye, I See" was shot at the Florissant Valley Community College and marked the end of a summer of hard work tackling gun violence.
"It deals with conflict resolution where a kid has to go through the same day over and over until they figure out how they stop a conflict, which in this film was a school shooting," said executive director Marlon Whitfield.
Whitfield said these children are the community's next generation of filmmakers and leaders.
"Our goal is to create young filmmakers and creators and to be able to go into the industry and live and make a living. The biggest takeaway is allowing kids to first learn about conflict resolution, but they also learn how to work as a team. Everybody when they first come, you have shy kids, that don't really want to interact. By the end of the camp, they find their own voice, they're talking, they're leading, and they are just running the show," said Whitfield.
5 On Your Side caught up with St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones at an Office of Violence Prevention (OVP) Kickback event in Dutchtown Saturday afternoon.
When we asked her what her office is doing to curb gun violence among teens, she credited the City's OVP.
"Please look at our rec centers. We have lots of free programming in our rec centers, and I don't mean just like sports. DJ Cut does DJ classes; kids can become DJs and use that skill to make money. So we try to provide classes around their needs, and some of those classes can lead to entrepreneurship. So we've been making a targeted investment in our youth and young people. And as a result, juvenile shootings are actually down," Mayor Jones said.
On The Set Summer Film Camp created a conflict resolution curriculum to accompany the movie. They hope to partner with local organizations to educate our youth through the film.
"From Blind Eye, I See" will be available on the camp's YouTube channel next month.