As many summer activities have suspended due to COVID-19, companies and brands are pivoting to virtual initiatives in place of in-person enrichment programs.

Ghetto Film School — an award-winning nonprofit founded to educate, develop and celebrate the next generation of great American storytellers — has launched a new program to encourage creativity amongst teens and young adults in the form of a short film challenge, Variety reports.

According to Variety, GFS Film Credits “short film challenge” — sponsored by AT&T and WarnerMedia — targets film creators ages 14 to 21 to create a short film centered around the theme “How Does It Feel to Be Connected, Right Now?”

The idea behind the film challenge is to engage young people who would otherwise have summer camp, school, or other activities to keep them busy this summer.

“We realize that many young people have had summer plans shifted or completely canceled,” said Sharese Bullock-Bailey, chief strategy and partnership officer for Ghetto Film School. “Young people are digital natives, and they intuitively know how to tell stories. We’re helping them tell those stories better, matching the interest and skill with exposure to the industry and film professionals… to connect to new careers and opportunities.”

For the challenge, the GFS Film Credits program invites creators to submit videos up to three minutes in length, in any format or genre (including personal narratives, TikTok, animation, and PSAs).

“We’re looking to engage young people wherever they are. We are leaving the lens open in terms of the format, because we want to see how young people are answering the call,” said Bullock-Bailey.

An industry jury will then select ten finalists and GFS will award the winners with “exclusive filmmaker engagements, a virtual premiere showcase, meetings with industry experts, production awards, and promotion on social platforms,” Variety reports.

According to Bullock-Bailey, the goal for the challenge is to reach at least 10,000 young people, and “we expect to reach well over that number.”

For more information on GFS Film Credits, visit www.filmcredits.org.

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