Free local showing of "Maestra" -- for teachers!

As part of the May Day Labor Film Festival, Prof. Linday Turner Bynoe of CSUMB will talk about how literacy helped transform Cuba. Her speech will follow the showing of Maestra, a film that depicts how literacy in Cuba was transformed when young women were sent to the countryside in 1961 to work with families. A view of what service to the community can mean for young people and a reminder how much literacy is needed and how it can transform communities.

Bynoe received her Ed. D. in Multicultural Education. She has lectured throughout the United States and at the Cuban Association for the Analysis of Contemporary Education in Cuba.

The event will take place at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 27, a the Museum of Monterey.

MAESTRA (Catherine Murphy, 2012, 33 min). Teenage women made up majority of 1961 Cuban literacy brigade.

Other films will be shown as part of Reel Work. For more information, click here.

Monterey high school filmmakers: here's another chance at a contest

Student filmmakers throughout California are invited to “Direct Change” by submitting videos for a statewide contest to prevent suicide and change minds about mental illness.

The contest is part of statewide efforts to prevent suicide, reduce stigma and discrimination related to mental illness, and to promote the mental health and wellness of students.

I'm hearing a lot of noise about this lately, and I'm actually planning to interview a family that's struggling with mental illness, depression and suicide attempts. It's a lot more common than we imagine, so hopefully efforts like this will increase much needed awareness.

Here's the details of the contest:

Open to high school students in California

Students have  to develop a 60-second public service announcement about suicide prevention or eliminating mental illness stigma during the 2012/13 school year.

Winning team and associated school earn a $1,000 cash prize

Enters each school into a drawing for a free suicide prevention program

Winning students and schools are recognized at an award ceremony in Sacramento at the end of the school year

For more information, submission guidelines, and entry forms, click here.

Entry deadline to submit final PSA’s is at 12 a.m.  March 1, 2013.

Questions? Email jana@directingchange.org

Budding filmmakers, get to work!

Young filmmakers eager to see their work on a screen bigger than YouTube will get the opportunity this fall, when CSU Monterey Bay holds its fourth annual Teen Film Festival.

The Teledramatic Arts and Technology Department is accepting applications for the festival, which will be held at CSUMB's World Theater on Sept. 29. The deadline to apply is April 29.

Filmmakers between 13 and 19 years old are invited to submit films and videos up to five minutes in length. Entries may be in English or Spanish and there is no entry fee. Entries may be submitted online here.

The competition is open to teenagers from around the world, and young people from Monterey County and the California Central Coast are strongly encouraged to apply.

If you're concerned about the drop out rate among Latinos

perhaps you may want to see "Go for it."

It's the story of Carmen, a 19-year-old Latina who's facing daunting challenges but relies on her passion for hip-hop to keep going. It's a movie that's gotten good reviews, and is playing in very few theaters. One of them, Maya Theater in Salinas.

So, for those of you who bemoan the lack of positive representations of Latinos in the media, this is your chance to see something more complex. The story talks about how challenging it is for many young Latinos to stay in school -- in spite of their best intentions. Plus, you'd be supporting a Latina filmmaker -- there are not too many out there -- and show that these types of movies have an audience.