Recommendation 3/5 Stars, STREAM

For 25 years, Film Independent has nurtured the next wave of filmmakers and worked to ensure voices of color are represented in the films we see and the stories we remember. The short films of the Project Involve program are a showcase of that talent and how I began the 2018 Los Angeles Film Festival.

For 90 minutes, I was introduced to the following: The cycle of life in the projects. A world where the roles of men and women are reversed. The real-life struggle of the working poor in Los Angeles. How Muslim women cope with life in the modern world. What it means to fit in and the power of food to move our souls.

When the lights rose on the auditorium, I was reminded why I love this medium so much. It has the power to transform. The experience of watching movies can be more than some passive activity. It can alter your life by taking you places and introducing you to people that have something valuable to teach you. It can have you walk a mile in the shoes of someone else. It can force you to question your values and ideals. It can soften your heart and inspire you to fight for the things you believe. It can change, and it can inspire.

In these new and visionary filmmakers, I see talented individuals who can add depth and breadth to a national conversation by taking us into worlds unseen, unknown, or unrecognized by the vast majority of society. As an avid film lover, I can’t wait to see what happens next. As a lover of film, I can’t wait to see the stories they create next. I promise you this, I’ll be there… ready to be changed.

Be good to each other,

-Nathan 

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