To honor the debut of Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” Walt Disney Company awarded funding to partners that provide providing science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and arts education to young people through its Future Storytellers initiative. Awardees include Ghetto Film School and Girls Who Code.
Ghetto Film School provides nine courses in film production and creative writing in order to educate, celebrate, and develop the next generation of great storytellers. Executive Director Brandon Santiago stated that, “We create platforms for our students to tell the stories that they want to tell. Those who transition out of GFS are looking to find a career in filmmaking, and Disney has been a key contributor in terms of financial donations, and a premier pipeline for our alumni.”
Meanwhile Girls Who Code provides programs during the school year that teach high school girls computer skills such as programming, robotics, and web design. Their goal is to end the gender gap in entry level tech jobs by 2030.
Cohen said that, “From its historic casting to advanced technology to culturally relevant storytelling, ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’ is one of the greatest and most anticipated movies ever. When young people watch this film, we want them to walk away believing that their futures are boundless and being inspired to pursue their passions, grow their skills, and share their unique talents with the world, We’re learning how to watch movies and how to break down storylines. I found myself breaking down camera shots — the editing, the cuts — I could see it all happening. And the way they brought Native American history into the movie and made it prevalent was beautiful. It changed me as a filmmaker,”
Some attendees to the charity event celebrating the donation such as Lauren Cho said that, “I got chills!, The movie was the epitome of women empowerment. The tribute to T’Challa made my day. I’m trying to innovate and use technology in a novel and creative way to give back to my community the way Shuri utilized technology to help Wakanda.”
While Kayla Holsey said that, “The one thing that stuck out for me was the girl power all the way through. From Shuri and her epic entrances to RiRi Williams and her intelligence to Okoye and her power! Based on this movie, my stories will be clear and concise, with a few plot twists mixed in!”
The charity event celebrating the donation as well as the release of the film was held at El Capitan Theatre a fully restored movie palace on Hollywood Blvd near Highland Ave. Walt Disney Company owns it and uses it as a venue for a majority of their film premieres.
—
Photo Credit: Marko Aliaksandr / Shutterstock.com