NEW ORLEANS — The Cool Cooperative is hosting its inaugural Student Film Slam from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at McDonogh 35 Senior High School (4000 Cadillac Street). It’s a mini-movie festival that will highlight short films created by students from across south Louisiana.
“We are thrilled to showcase the next generation of New Orleans filmmakers,” said Beth Burvant, executive director of the Cool Cooperative, in a press release. “It’s a huge accomplishment to complete a film for the first time, and some of these shorts are truly wonderful, showcasing a wide array of unique creative voices.”
At the event, filmmakers and attendees will walk the red carpet before the screenings.
“Everyone has a camera in their pocket today, but it’s still difficult to finish a film,” said Burvant. “Then, once it’s finished, the real struggle is getting it in front of an audience. We want our students to experience an elevated celebration of their hard work.”
Among the films set to premiere are two short form documentaries. “Marwan’s Suit,” directed by Nala Henderson of Warren Easton High School, follows the flagboy of the Golden Eagles Masking Indian tribe as he constructs the suit he will wear for Mardi Gras. And in “Martha’s Journey,” a newly naturalized citizen describes the trials and tribulations of the path from her native Honduras to living and working in New Orleans — and how she found faith and hope along the way.
The Cool Cooperative is a New Orleans-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping middle and high school youth with film-industry specific workforce development. It offers summer programs, after-school programs and hands-on training in film production.
