The community-based Educational Video Center (EVC) teaches documentary production and media analysis to youth, educators, and community organizers. Through the process of video productions, EVC students learn research, writing, and reporting skills, enhancing their capacities for critical analysis and creative self-expression. EVC is dedicated to the creative use of video and multi-media as a means to develop the academic, civic, and work preparation skills of at-risk youth.
Youth Organizers Television (YO-TV), which produced the documentary Still Standing with assistance from OSI's Katrina Media Fellowship, is a ten-month, pre-professional internship that offers graduates from EVC's Documentary Workshop the opportunity to hone their production and career skills. While working on this documentary, each crewmember worked as director, producer, and editor. The following is a list of individuals who worked on the project:
YO-TV Director
Lindsay Fauntleroy (New York, NY)
Lindsay Fauntleroy began her work in video while completing her master's degree in Media Sociology at New York University, where she studied how communities interact with media. Lindsay's first documentary short, The Urban Lyricists, brought viewers into the lives of the NYC independent poetry and artists' collective she helped to found. As a media educator with the Educational Video Center, she has taught various aspects of media production and documentary filmmaking in schools and organizations throughout New York City. As the program director of Youth Organizers Television, Fauntleroy's projects have included Alienated: Undocumented Immigrant Youth and Still Standing, a documentary focusing on Hurricane Katrina survivors. Through her work in documentary, music, and experimental video, Fauntleroy aims to bring the power of visual storytelling to socially responsible artists and organizations. She believes in using video to document and promote "living history" in communities of color.
YO-TV Filmmakers
Luis Arcentales (Queens, NY)
Born in Ecuador, Luis Arcentales, now 21, has been living in Queens, NY, for six years. While in high school, Arcentales and a group of classmates created a radio documentary, Two Worlds Around Me. While working on Still Standing, Arcentales sharpened his camera and editing skills. He is currently a history major with minors in Spanish and secondary education. He also takes film and media courses and is a summer 2007 intern at Skylight Pictures.
Vanessa Bateau (Brooklyn, NY)
Born in Brooklyn, NY, Vanessa Bateau, now 19, is a sophomore attending Brooklyn College, where she is majoring in film and television production. She produced her first documentary, Scrolii, as a participant at the HBO Young Filmmakers Lab/Reel Works. In October 2006, Bateau was awarded the Youth Judges Award for Scrolii at the San Diego Women's Film Festival. In October 2005, Bateau had the honor of becoming a member of the Youth Organizers Television crew, which produced Still Standing. Her passion for helping others was recognized as she was awarded the Youth Artist Activist Award from the Urban Visionaries Film Festival. Bateau is now a Peer Trainer at MNN's Youth Channel, where she teaches other youth how to use media as a tool for social change in their community or environment. She also interns for P.O.V., a documentary-based series on PBS, and is a member of Reel Works Teen Filmmaker's Master Class. Here she is given the opportunity to work on her fourth film, about her family's Haitian background and culture intertwined with a series of Haitian beauty pageants.
Jeongwoon Eun (Flushing, NY)
Jeongwoon Eun, now 25, was born and raised in Flushing, NY. She discovered her interest in filmmaking through a high school project called Brave New World. Her most recent work is a short film on monkeys in Costa Rica, which can be viewed as part of her portfolio at http://www.eundynastynyc.com. Thanks to YO-TV, Eun learned the importance of teamwork. She is currently studying business administration at ASA College in New York City.
Ines Morales (Bronx, NY)
Ines Morales, now 20, was born and lives in the Bronx. After completing a documentary about teen suicide and her second documentary about Hurricane Katrina survivors, Morales made a big decision in her life—to pursue a career in the film industry. Morales is taking media classes in college, and has declared her major in media communications. She believes that everything in life happens for a reason; it will shape you for your destiny.
Adrianne Morraz (New York, NY)
Adrianne Morraz, now 22, was born and raised in Manhattan. She discovered her interest in filmmaking through various internships. Through EVC, she further developed her filmmaking skills and her passion for creating media for social justice and awareness. In the spring of 2005 she co-produced Sometimes the Silence Can Seem So Loud: A Look into Teen Suicide. She is currently organizing a video production on LGBT youth. Morraz is currently taking media and film classes at LaGuardia Community College.
Sergio A. Sanchez (Bronx, NY)
Sergio A. Sanchez, now 20, was born and raised in Mexico and currently resides in the Bronx. He became interested in filmmaking while filming special occasions for his family. Prior to Still Standing, Sanchez has worked on two documentaries: Street Art, a look into graffiti issues in New York, as well as Is This Love?, a look into teen domestic violence. Sergio is proud of contributing his camera work and editing skills to the Still Standing production. He is a psychology major at the City College of New York. Along with taking media classes, Sanchez improves his production skills by filming weddings and other events.