We all need a cultural shift. Our souls are crying for it. Can it start here at the Revolutionary Campus?
When I started teaching University Writing at George Washington University, I saw that my bright students could write anything, but they were never taught to tell a meaningful story. They were never taught to be introspective, so … knowing that telling your own story can be empowering and transformative, I started asking why? Why don’t they teach it? I want to give that power back.
Film in general, so far, in human history, has been used as a form of escapism or entertainment, but in our film festival it is a form of connection. You connect to yourself and family.
You might think you know your family members, but the truth is, there are so many psychological barriers that disconnect us. Creating and watching the ‘Not Another Home Movie’ films breaks those barriers. They help us understand the self, see the other, and feel more.
You may ask, so what is ‘Not Another Home Movie’? Let’s start with what a “home movie” is. Home movies, the way we understand this term, are video clips of family moments. They don’t tell a complete story on their own, they don’t reflect and connect the dots of what the story really means to the person. But ‘Not Another Home Movie’ is a short film (3-5 minutes) that is artistic and tells a meaningful family story. We want people to believe in the value of their own stories and the power of telling them out loud. We only understand the past and move on when we tell that story the best way we can. We want social media to shift to storytelling with our stories at the center of everyday life.
