L.A. County Foster Youth Films Featured At PAFF

The Pan African Film & Arts Festival will feature six films from Kids in the Spotlight (KITS)  for FREE on Sat., Feb. 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD.  The screenings are free and open to the public with an RSVP here.

KITS is a Black-led, Los Angeles County-based organization that helps foster youth heal and grow from trauma through the power of storytelling and filmmaking. In the KITS flagship Script-to-Screen program, foster youth ages 12-22 write, cast, and star in their own short films, telling their stories their way. KITS envisions a pipeline of Black and Brown leaders in positions of decision-making power. By building the pipeline, KITS pursues the restoration of economic stability and generational wealth for Black and Brown youth. 

Saturday, February 18, 2023
10:30 a.m.
Cinemark Baldwin Hills & XD
4020 Marlton Avenue, Los Angeles
RSVP HERE

	RUN Mental Health Run to what you fear.
	BULLY Bullying “Bully” – the winning script from KITS inaugural National Short Screenplay Competition – focuses on a lonely teen from a troubled home who is pushed past his breaking point when a bully ruins his chance to take his crush to prom. Jackson-Brown wrote this film so that he could heal the wounds created by the loss of his mother, as well as the physical and emotional abuse he had to overcome throughout his life. In “Bully,” John (played by Terry Crews), is an alcoholic and abusive father who has not dealt with the grief from the loss of his wife, nor the abandonment he feels for his daughter leaving the house after the mother’s death. After being publicly humiliated by a bully named Maverick, John’s son Mike (played by Rodney Jackson-Brown) heads to school with his father’s gun to confront Maverick. Mike and Maverick both have a crush on Cole (played by Ariel Winter), who is the source of tension between the two of them.
	SYSTEM FAILURE Coming of Age A teenage boy is forced to address a painful secret while contemplating his future.
	TREACHERY IN BOYLE HEIGHTS Gang Prevention A young Hispanic kid learns a valuable lesson about the meaning of family after he walks away from a gang.
	PARALLEL Women’s Empowerment Double standards play a significant role in justice for two high school students who are the victims of sexual assault.
	BROWN Cultural & Racial Respect Five hopeful high school students find their plans derailed when encountering the systematic setbacks of being Brown in America.