Co-creative Cinema as a
Catalyst for Community Change
Program Narrative
During the summer of 2024, 20 teenagers came together to co-create short films exploring their community's identity. Filmbuilding continued its partnership with the the City of Malden, MA to run Filmbuilding Malden - the flagship program in Filmbuilding's Our City in Motion initiative.
Combining elements of visual storytelling and community engagement, these first-time filmmakers relied on each other’s ideas and personal stories to guide them through our discovery-based filmmaking process as they developed, filmed, and edited their projects. The resulting films were premiered at the Filmbuilding Malden Festival on September 14, 2024.
Filmbuilding and its partners believe that collaborative visual storytelling can be a powerful tool for civic engagement and creatively exploring solutions to challenges that affect us all during times of uncertainty.
Dive into Filmbuilding Malden 2024 + 2023
Our City in Motion: Imperatives
The Educational Imperative
(engendering critical, creative, collaborative and conceptual thinking; expanding possibilities within media arts education)
The Cultural Imperative
(telling personal and meaningful stories; celebrating ethnic diversity; sparking radical cross-cultural collaboration)
The Technological Imperative
(expanding image-based literacy and communication; demonstrating highly inclusive and accessible use of technology)
The Community Imperative
(encouraging civic responsibility and connection to community; enhancing sense of place; activating community spaces)
The Economic Imperative
(building partnerships and communication channels; employing individuals in various sectors; creating opportunities for local businesses)
The Peace Imperative
(engendering empathy and understanding across divisions; confronting complex demographic issues; striving for social harmony)
Partners
