This week, June 12^th, the Standard Hotel’s Biergarten opened its doors to the Ghetto Film School for it’s 9^th Annual Spring Benefit.

 

The true stars the night were six talented high school students, who were each to be honored with $2,500 in college scholarships to support their pursuit of higher education and endeavors in the art of filmmaking. Yamel Garcia, Nick Farfan, Tiye Amenechi, Josue Loayza, Kristen Tanjutco, and Antonello Velez, were all smiles as they posed for pictures and chatted excitedly about their film projects and what would come next in their budding careers. Peter Becker and the Criterion were also to be honored for their continued support of the program and its students. When asked why Peter Becker and the Criterion found it necessary to support a program like GSF, Becker replied, “For me it all just adds up. I love movies, I love cinema, and I would love to see a new generation of filmmakers come up”. And Joe Hall (Founder of GSF) is dedicated to doing just that.

In attendance, to honor these students and present the awards, were some big entertainment industry names such as; Julia Stiles (actress, most recently seen in “Silver Linings Playbook”), Gus Johnson (sportscaster), Joshua Marston (director of “Maria Full of Grace” and “The Forgiveness of Blood”), and Lee Daniels (director of “The Butler”). When asked about his role with the GSF program, Lee Daniels admitted to feeling guilty at not being able to participate as much as he would have liked due to scheduling issues. His normal position with the program comes in the role of teaching, and providing internships for the students. When asked why he was attracted to the work this program does he replied, “Because this didn’t exist when I was around. And if I can just pass on what little I know to these kids, than that’s a big deal to me”.

Lee Daniels’ absence is understandable due to his current position as director the new film, “The Butler.” The film stars the formidable Forest Whitaker, as he takes the roll of a White House butler who is the eyewitness to notable historic events that take place over eight American presidencies (from 1952-1986). When asked what drew him to the script and the storyline of The Butler he said, “Kids need to understand where they are coming from. My daughter was taught more about the holocaust than she was about the Civil Rights Movement and about slavery. And I think that we, as African Americans, need to understand from where we are coming”.

As the red carpet ended, everyone headed inside to enjoy a wonderfully prepared dinner and to honor the great individuals who worked hard in the program, and the individuals who made the program possible. Questlove of the Roots, was a surprise guest in attendance and was the DJ for the after-dinner party.

-JT Tarpav