Next Gen Student Films

A Collective Divide

A Film by Lily K., The Representation Project, 2021

In a rapidly modernizing New York City, three residents from the boroughs of Manhattan, Brooklyn, and the Bronx discuss their perspectives and experiences of gentrification in their neighborhoods.

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A Divine Connection

A Film by Liza J., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short documentary film, we meet Kyle, Kesley, and Misti, seeking divine healing and connection through practices such as reiki and yoga to better understand themselves and others.

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A Lost Cord

A Film by Neveah K., The Representation Project, 2021

In Northern Cheyenne culture, there is a tradition of keeping the umbilical cord after it falls off. It represents the child’s connection to its mother and keeps them safe from harm. This short film follows a tale about the consequences of severing the bond created by the umbilical cord.

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A United Nations Experience

A United Nations Experience

A Film by Mali P., The Representation Project, 2020

A United Nations Experience is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. In 2014, a 16 year-old student attended the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues with her school, Ahahuacalmecac.

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Beyond the Model

Beyond the Model

A Film by Jessica L., The Representation Project, 2020

Beyond The Model is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. After the assaults and discrimination of Asians in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, this film shines a light on what it is like to be a “model minority” in an increasingly divided America.

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Black Til It's Backwards

Black Till It’s Backwards

A Film by TreNisha S., The Representation Project, 2020

Black Till It’s Backwards is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. This short film is a visual piece set to poetry written by filmmaker TreNisha S.

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Let's Talk About It // Formerly: Bloody Sheets

Bloody Sheets

A Film by Grace T., The Representation Project, 2020

Bloody Sheets is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. Bloody Sheets invites us to get comfortable talking about menstruation and explore how we can reduce the stigma surrounding periods.

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Blue Screen

A Film by Angelica J., The Representation Project, 2021

Filmed through the eyes of the youngest in the household, in this short film, Angelica interviews her family members on the negative and positive impacts of technology usage in today’s society in the midst of following them in their daily life.

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Born Amish

A Film by Frost M., The Representation Project, 2020

An Amish family in Maine lives life off the grid and on the land, making the most of daylight.

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Brainwashed

A Film by Chloe T., The Representation Project, 2021

Through a combination of the narrator’s experience and media clips, this film examines the representation of Middle Eastern people in Hollywood and media and how it affects a greater audience.

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Chicken & the Egg

A Film by Zen T., The Representation Project, 2021

A girl tells her story of how she did her first stick and poke. This short film follows the girl over the day she received her tattoo while narrating her experience wearing a chicken mask. Chicken & the Egg uses dark humor and comedy to explore the experience of coping with grief and losing a loved one.

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Conditioned

A Film by Angie P., The Representation Project, 2021

Conditioned shows the development of queer children’s media, beginning in the 1930s to present-day movies and TV shows. The filmmaker uses clips of TV shows and films to explore how LGBTQ+ representation can be improved and how representation is linked to acceptance, especially for kids.

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Creating a Chasm

A Film by Elsie R., The Representation Project, 2020

This film explores how COVID-19 is increasing the education gap among students in the United States.

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Defined By The Line

A Film by Serafine C., The Representation Project, 2020

Defined by the Line explores how gender roles impact the lives of teenagers across the globe.

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Detras de Una Mirada

A Film by Christopher G., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short documentary film, Édgar Gaytán shares their experience of discrimination as a transgender person living in Mexico and their journey to self-acceptance and self-love. CW: This film discusses sexual violence.

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Filters of Life

A Film by Angelica R., The Representation Project, 2020

Living in a two-bedroom home with two different families, filmmaker Angelica Rubio embarks on a path to understanding family dynamics, vulnerability, and personhood.

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Generation Z: The Hushed Generation

A Film by Melanie M. and Felix M., The Representation Project, 2020

Generation Z: The Hushed Generation is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. In this short film, we explore the experience of depression as narrated by Ate, a young person navigating how to open up about his needs.

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Neighborhood

Gentrification

A Film by Samira B., The Representation Project, 2020

Filmmaker Samira B. explores how gentrification has changed her neighborhood.

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Growing Up Gen Z

A Film by Naila J., The Representation Project, 2020

Growing Up Gen Z is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. Five students across the spectrum of Generation Z consider the influence technology has had on their development thus far and its potential effects on those coming after.

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Hair Care

A Film by Cadence C., The Representation Project, 2021

This short documentary film explores Cadence’s relationship with her natural hair and the beautiful memories of her grandmother doing her hair when she was a little girl.

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Jocelyn

Home: Joselyn’s Story

The Representation Project, 2019

A film about home, love, and motherhood, “Home: Joselyn’s Story” is the story of Joselyn. She was brought to the United States from Honduras by her mother when she was nine years old. As a mother now, she reflects on the decision her mother made for her, risking everything to give her daughter a better life.

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I Am Different

A Film by Diya K., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short film, Diya explores her feelings of otherness in her small community of Bothell, Washington, as a first-generation Indian-American and follows along as she navigates her experience of cultural assimilation and self-appreciation.

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In a Body

A Film by Melany A., Danise K., Kenia C., and Mariana F., The Representation Project, 2019

“In A Body” brings awareness to what struggling with body image looks like and creates an open and honest dialogue with individuals who have successfully overcome body image issues.

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Inner Workings

A Film by Cara D., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short film, Cara opens up about her experience with depression and body dysmorphia. She explores how mental health struggles manifest for others in Generation Z, especially in the wake of the COVID19 Pandemic.

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It’s Okay To Be Real

A Film by Madison M. ,The Representation Project, 2020

This film aims to help educate the audience about how girls feel when they look at themselves in the mirror versus online on social media.

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Language

A Film by Jocelyn C., The Representation Project, 2021

Three young adults living in different parts of the world share their relationship to language and how it affects their experience of community and connection to the people they know.

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Living Vicariously

A Film by Sofia D., The Representation Project, 2021

Mixed kids are exposed to many questions about their identity, place in the world, and local environments from a young age. The film aims to answer these questions and amplify conversations about their experiences by intertwining the stories of several mixed youths in New York City.

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Whitney

Mama

A Film by Mackenna M. ,The Representation Project, 2020

Hear from three mothers who share their hopes and fears for their children and how they navigate raising and preparing their children for the challenges and threats of growing up black in America.

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TMI

A Film by Malinalli D. ,The Representation Project, 2020

TMI is a multigenerational story chronicles the experience and consequence of period stigma on women.

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Mirage in the Desert

A Film by Samantha F., The Representation Project, 2021

The world is running out of water and time to fix the crises. This short documentary film examines the water crisis and its devastating effects and explores solutions for how we can solve it.

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My Grandma, A Fighter

A Film by Kalijah R., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short documentary film, filmmaker Kalijah shares his grandmother, Beverly Bullchild’s story. Beverly grew up in foster care after losing her mother at an early age and shares her experience of feeling exploited for labor by her foster parents.

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Sisters

Ni Yankwik Xinachtli

A Film by Axayacatzi K., The Representation Project, 2020

Ni Yankwik Xinachtli is a short documentary film created in The Representation Project’s 2020 Youth Media Academy. This film explores Indigenous generational knowledge on medicinal plants and alternative medicine and how the seed reflects the person and the prayer of the universe.

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No Lost Sisters

A Film by Jenaya Y., The Representation Project, 2021

Every day Indigenous mothers, daughters, sisters, and children go missing at an alarming rate. This short film imagines the fear and anguish of having a loved one kidnapped.

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Not a Choice

A Film by August L., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short film, the filmmaker speaks to 13 young people with Eating Disorders who share their experiences and fears. CW: This film discusses disordered eating and thoughts.

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Los Rostros

Nuestros Rostros

A Film by Damaris C., The Representation Project, 2020

The filmmaker explores her relationship to make-up, an art that she believes can empower herself and others.

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Papa

A Film by Claiborne M., The Representation Project, 2021

In Eureka, California, a mother takes care of her father, who is living with dementia. During her short visit, She brings food and reminders to take his medicine, as well as medical documents. Tough times and difficult conversations are approached with care and compassion throughout this short film.

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Poh

A Film by Hillary T. ,The Representation Project, 2020

Displacement and unease of Lao civilians causes a young boy named Phomma to seek refuge in the United States, the “land of the free.”

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Encampment

Pushed Out

A Film by Thomas W and Dennis M. , The Representation Project, 2020

Oakland has become more and more modernized and safe due to gentrification. It looks like these new changes are all great, but once you look closer, you see the damage gentrification has had on Oakland natives.

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Sadness Reflected

A Film by Anya B., The Representation Project, 2021

Told from the perspective of teenage girls from Maine, This short documentary film reflects on the isolation experienced by teenagers during the quarantine of 2020.

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School During Quarantine

A Film by Andres O., The Representation Project, 2020

This film takes a humorous glimpse into Andres’ experience of attending virtual school during the COVID19 Pandemic.

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Shh! It’s a War Zone

A Film by Adrija J., The Representation Project, 2021

A young filmmaker interviews her grandmother about escaping a war-torn homeland with her three-month-old sister. Shh! It’s a War Zone journeys through a life in refuge via a grandmother’s memories and a granddaughter’s curious camera.

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Tetsmolini (Sprouting)

The Representation Project, 2021

Wana, who is very sick, realizes that she is not ready to leave her grandson Miliano, who did not learn to speak her language. On her deathbed, Aleja, the Curandera of the community, uses her sacred knowledge to ask the sacred winds for help. Wana will talk to the winds, guardians of the land to find the strength she needs to continue her legacy and provide a bridge between humans and the earth.

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Pollution

The Air I Breathe

A Film by Kim C. ,The Representation Project, 2020

Wilmington, California, is one of the most polluted cities in the United States. In this short documentary, the filmmaker explores our relationship to our natural environment and makes a plea to stop polluting the air we breathe.

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Notebook

The Amplitude of Thought

A Film by Phoebe M., The Representation Project, 2020

Two teens share their struggles with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and reflect on the difference between their experience of living with OCD and how it is represented through popular culture.

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The Bridge

A Film by Shreya M. & Calvin C., The Representation Project, 2021

Tri-Cities, Washington has a long history of segregation. In this short documentary film, one woman explores her identity, her city’s messy past and discovers her place within the next generation of her community.

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The Drop in a Sea

A Film by Nahui P., The Representation Project, 2021

Nikishna shares his story about growing up in the foster care system from the age of three. This short documentary explores his experience of an unstable childhood, which included moving from one house to another, and several bad caretakers.

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The Importance of Cultural Identity

A Film by Thomas W., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short documentary film, social worker Darlyn Tsosie shares her experience in native communities, including managing foster care cases for indigenous children in compliance with the Indian Child Welfare Act.

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Hands

The Inbetween

A Film by Mia Jay P. ,The Representation Project, 2020

Filmmaker Mia Jay Pachirat explores living between the abled and disabled and what it means to have your foot in two different worlds.

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The Weight of the World

A Film by Lora F., The Representation Project, 2021

Our culture innodates young people daily with messages ascribing value to possessing the idealized “perfect body.” This short documentary film explores the harm of seeking perfection and advocates for self-love and appreciation of all bodies. CW: This film discusses weight, eating disorders, dieting, and body image.

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Tlin Kelnamike No Lola (My Grandmothers Memories)

A Film by Jocelyn V., The Representation Project, 2021

In this short documentary film, Jocelyn interviews her grandmother about growing up in the town of Copalillo in Guerrero, Mexico, in the seventies and eighties. Her grandmother recounts losing her father at a young age, getting by on little money, and living without electricity until her teens.

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When the Moon Moves, The Flower Shadows

A Film by Emme W., The Representation Project, 2021

Frustrated by the inadequate representation of marginalized people in the video game industry, a young video game developer seeks to create a game centered around Asian American adolescent joy.

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Yolmeya (Sprouting Life)

A Film by Roberto M., The Representation Project, 2021

In Yolmeya (Sprouting Life), we meet residents of Cuentepec, Mexico. These community members share their concerns and offer solutions to address the increased pollution of their water supply from trash and plastic bags.

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