Point has commissioned one of our own alumni, filmmaker Rhys Ernst, to create a short public service announcement (PSA) video featuring the inspiring, personal stories of Point Scholars and Alumni. Frontiers Magazine is featuring the PSA debut on their web site Friday, November 2.
"Point Scholars and Alumni have so much talent and when we started planning for a new PSA, we thought this was a great opportunity to showcase some of their skills and gifts,” explains Jorge Valencia, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Point Foundation. “Rhys Ernst is a Point alum and young filmmaker starting to make a name for himself, so we asked him to work with us on the PSA. Rhys brought to the project not just technical ability, but empathy and real skill in talking with the scholars and alumni so that they felt comfortable sharing their personal stories and describing how they became part of the Point family."
Of the approach he took to the project, Rhys says, “As a transgender writer/director, I use storytelling to evoke empathy. That's an important form of activism to me. I'm keenly aware of the connection between storytelling and empathy; to draw someone into a story is to connect with them on a profoundly personal level. Sharing the stories of Point Scholars with the world is one more thing I can do to affect social change. “
Watch Point's new PSA below and check out more videos of our scholars on our YouTube channel.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGooLdwZvTA?rel=0]
| About Rhys Ernst, 2010 Point Alumnus | |
| Rhys Ernst is a mixed media filmmaker that uses experimental narrative, animation, and video art as strategies to discuss transgender identity, representation and history. Rhys received his MFA in Film/ Video in 2011 at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles. He was named the 2010 HBO Point Scholar and a 2011 Project: Involve Fellow. Rhys’ short film, The Thing, which he wrote and directed while still pursuing his MFA, was selected to premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. To find out more about Rhys’ other projects, visit his web site. | |