LATEST NEWS: 3 schools, 4 films, 48 hours: The QIFF Youth Initiative started October 23rd, 2009 in the Renaissance School in Jackson Heights, Queens and will grow into the OWN Charter School and the Frank Sinatra School for the Arts in Astoria, Queens next week. There will be a total of 48 working hours with filmmakers as the young people create 4 original shorts based on the theme: "My Queens". The shorts will be screened at the Festival's award ceremony on November 15.
QIFF YOUTH PROGRAM
Since it's inception, in 2003 The Queens International Film Festival has displayed a keen interest in developing young filmmakers. Over the years, the Youth Program has evolved into a strong and vibrant Festival element that has introduced hundreds of young people to the world of film and filmmaking through special screenings and panels.
In 2008, QIFF Youth Program launched a young filmmakers workshop facilitated by long time Queens resident and award winning filmmaker Don Cato and his wife, Katha Cato, Director of After-School Services at Henry Street Settlement. For one week prior to the festival The Catos worked with middle school students from Our World Neighborhood (O.W.N.) Charter School, immersing them in pre-production experiences as they prepared to shoot two Public Service Announcements.
On Saturday, November 8, 2008 QIFF hosted a young filmmaker's panel that engaged the audience in a lively discussion about the entertainment business, sharing advice and personal stories. After the panel, the youth broke into production teams to shoot two PSAs, both live action pieces - one featuring discarded toys and addressing tolerance, the other addressing the three Rs - "Reduce, Re-use, Recycle". The finished films were screened the following evening at the Festival's award ceremony where the work was greeted by a standing ovation by filmmakers from around the world.
This year, the 7th annual Queens International Film Festival Youth Initiative will kick off on October 23rd in the Renaissance School in Jackson Heights and on October 26 the program will grow into the OWN Charter School and The Frank Sinatra School for the ARTS both in Astoria. All week QIFF will provide filmmakers who will work with students on short films on the theme: My Queens! The following weekend, Nov 7, there will be a family event at CAMPAGNOLA PIZZERIA to celebrate the work of the students and on November 15, the student's work will be featured at the QIFF award ceremony and the young people will be the envelop runners as they escort the film festival winners to and from the podium.
Questions about the Youth Program should be directed to:
Katha Cato
Kcato@henrystreet.org
917-562-9648
About the Team Cato
Katha Cato - Actor/Producer
Katha was born in Yuma, Arizona and grew up on a cattle ranch in the Imperial Valley, California where she was a Champion Equestrian. She earned a BA from Cal-Poly and an MFA in Theatre from the University of Oregon, moved to New York with her theatre company Forplay Improvised Theatre and pioneered the Improvisational Herald format into the mainstream comedy scene. She won backstage Magazine Bistro Award for 'Best Director', a Manhattan Association of Cabarets [MAC] award for 'Outstanding Comedy', and was named New York's 'Most Exciting Improviser' by the New York Post. Currently, Katha is the Director of After-School Services for Henry Street Settlement, providing over 700 youngsters daily with arts, technology and youth development programming. In November she won "The 2008 After School Super Star Award for Exemplary Service & Programming" presented by the State of New York. Katha Co-Produced and is the co-lead in the award winning feature Be My Oswald and the lead actor in the Youtube series: The Department of Positive Commentary.
YouTube video
Don Cato - Writer/Director/Producer
Don, a former Landscape Architect, was raised on a fruit farm in Fredonia, New York. He earned a BSLA and a BLA from Michigan State and his MLA from the University of Oregon where he also taught & worked on his MFA in Motion Graphics. At Oregon, he participated in Director workshops with Howard Hawks and Bugs Bunny animator Bob Clampett. At The Orson Wells Film School in Cambridge, MA., he studied with Cinematographer Austin DeBesche and participated in workshops under notable film Directors Nicolas Ray, Oscar winner Jan Kadar, and Paul Morrissey(Warhol Films). At the Lazlo Kovacs workshop in Camden, Maine, Don won the "Most Electricity" Award. Among Cato's many short films, Pipeline Patrol, won a silver medal at Cannes, a National Film Board of Canada selection, a Stratford, Ontario Film Festival selection, a Tokyo Film Festival Selection, a First Prize-Honorable Mention from American Society of Animators-East (NY) and toured with the Ann Arbor Midnight Trip. His documentary Skinners' Beaut, a bicentennial film for the City of Eugene, Oregon was screened by the World Futures Society as a tribute to Margaret Meade at the Chautauqua Institute, Chautauqua, New York. Shortly after in 1978, he made China Dawning, Behind Silk Curtains, an award winning documentary on The People's Republic of China. He packaged and directed his first feature, Dixie Lanes, with Karen Black, Hoyt Axton, Moses Gunn, Tina Louise and Nina Foch, edited and released in 1987 by Cinemavault Releasing. Recently, his feature Be My Oswald YouTube video appeared in over nine festivals winning four and is critically compared to Shallow Grave by Danny Boyle and to the dark comedy Dr. Strangelove. Don has won awards for photography, sculpture and co-founded Garbagio's, the country's first consumer owned, source separating recycling & garbage company. Don currently teaches at The Digital Film Academy in New York. YouTube video QIFF PSA's; YouTube video
