San Diego ‘Moms With Issues’ present Young Leaders Film Festival June 22-24
Young Leaders Film Festival (YLFF) will present five acclaimed independent films June 22-24 on the San Diego campus of La Jolla Country Day School. The two-day world premiere event is designed to appeal to students ages 14-18, with films sourced from leading North American showcases, including the famed Sundance Film Festival.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.youngleadersfilmfestival.com. Tickets are $7 per film for all ages, except for the Friday night opening night reception, which is $15 and features special guests and a screening of the Harry Belafonte biopic, “Sing Your Song.”
Young Leaders Film Festival is a project of the Moms with Issues (MWI) production company, a partnership of Kathryn Brinton of Del Mar, Pat Hughes of Del Mar, and Rancho Santa Fe resident Carol Tager. This trio of film-loving friends traveled to the Sundance Film Festival last year. On the flight home to San Diego — reflecting on the important films they had just experienced — Brinton, Hughes and Tager dedicated themselves to creating a platform for such worthy films. On that flight, the concept of the Young Leaders Film Festival was born.
“At Sundance, we saw a number of extraordinary films, primarily documentaries, that rarely make it to the theaters,” says Festival Producer Pat Hughes. “So after screening hundreds of films, including over 40 that we saw at Sundance, we selected five features that fulfill our mission to inspire the minds of our 14-18-year-old young leaders.”
The Young Leaders Film Festival concludes Sunday at 7 p.m., with “Sunday Night Shorts,” six short films, plus StoryCorps, and films from the 1st Annual LJCDS Student Video and Film Festival.
All films will screen in the Four Flowers Theater on the campus of La Jolla Country Day School. 9490 Genesee Avenue, La Jolla, near UTC. For more information or to buy tickets, visit www.youngleadersfilmfestival.com.
Young Leaders Film Festival Feature Films:
•Sing Your Song
A documentary recounting the untold story of Harry Belafonte, not only one of the world’s great entertainers, but an important catalyst in the civil rights movement. Sing Your Song has won multiple awards since its release in 2011 and is a New York Times Critic Pick.
• Friday, June 22 – 6:30 p.m.
Tickets $15 – includes opening reception and film
•5 Broken Cameras
A documentary collaboration between an Israeli and a Palestinian farmer whose life is disrupted by the building of Israel’s security fence near his west bank village. The story is told through the lenses of five cameras, each which is broken in the struggle. The New York Times says: “Difficult viewing - but necessary.” Sundance - 2012 Presentation.
• Saturday June 23 - 10 a.m.
• Sunday June 24 - 4 p.m.
Tickets: $7
•The Hammer
A sports drama depicting the struggles and successes Matt Hamill faces on the way to becoming a UFC champion. Through sheer determination, he uses his perceived disability as an asset, and becomes both the first deaf wrestler to win a National Collegiate Championship and an inspirational force to the hearing and deaf alike.
• Saturday June 23 - 1 p.m.
Tickets: $7
•Inside Hana’s Suitcase
A battered suitcase is delivered to Fumiko Ishioka at the Tokyo Holocaust Museum. The suitcase came from the Auschwitz Museum and had Hana Bradyʼs name painted on it. Larry Weinsteinʼs masterful film follows Fumikoʼs search to discover the details of Hanaʼs life. This is a Holocaust story with unique perspective for young leaders.
• Saturday June 23 - 4 p.m.
• Sunday June 24 - 1 p.m.
Tickets: $7
•Musical Chairs
A romantic tale of two New Yorkers, Armando from the Bronx, and Mia from the Upper East Side, who come together through their love of ballroom dancing. When a tragic accident puts Mia in a wheelchair, Armando dedicates himself to helping Mia dance once more by introducing her to the world of competitive wheelchair ballroom dancing.
• Saturday June 23 - 7 p.m.
• Sunday June 24 - 10 a.m.
Tickets: $7