CONTACT: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JEANNE MEYERS
Co-founder/Director
The MY HERO Project
[email protected]
JOY BUOLAMWINI BY ABBIGAIL MIRA WINS WOJ YOUTH REPORTER AND WOMEN TRANSFORMING MEDIA AWARDS AT 2024 MY HERO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
NOVEMBER 12, 2024 – LAGUNA BEACH, CA – The MY HERO Project is delighted to announce that Joy Buolamwini by Abbigail Mira will receive the WOJ Youth Reporter Award and the Women Transforming Media Student Award at the MY HERO 20th Annual International Film Festival.
The short documentary details the work of Dr. Joy Buolamwini, a Canadian American digital activist known for her ground-breaking research into algorithmic bias and the potential harms of artificial intelligence (AI). Buolamwini’s non-profit organization, the Algorithmic Justice League, is dedicated to ensuring that the companies and institutions using artificial intelligence in decision-making software are regulated and do not perpetuate various forms of discrimination. Watch Joy Buolamwini here.
Joy Buolamwini at Wikimania 2018 in Cape Town, South Africa.Niccolò Caranti via Wikimedia Commons
Ascot Avenue Elementary School student Abbigail Mira created the film as part of the MY HERO Media Arts Education program at Ascot Elementary in Los Angeles. The MY HERO team worked closely with Ascot’s Principal, Dr. Gustavo Ortiz-Escalante, and the staff to curate the program, tailored to enhance the school’s existing curriculum. Each hour-long workshop was designed to introduce and demonstrate a different element of pre-production, production, and post-production, before the students were tasked with implementing their learning in the creation of their own projects. On the impact of the program, Dr. Ortiz said:
MY HERO has provided our students with tools that will carry them in life. Ascot, the oldest standing elementary school structure in LAUSD has been renewed with the use of technology and video editing that [the MY HERO team] have been able to teach with. When we talk about urban education and making an impact on poverty, social ills and homelessness, MY HERO opens the windows to a brighter future as it highlights resilience, relevance and relationships that tie all of us together.
Saint George Thompson/The MY HERO ProjectFrank Guttler and Isabella Escalona celebrate the completion of the eight week program with Ascot Avenue Elementary students.
Mira, Dr. Ortiz, and Guttler were all in attendance at the Film Festival ceremony on November 16th. Both Guttler and Dr. Ortiz spoke about the need for organizations like MY HERO, to support schools in offering media education for their students. Said Guttler:
Schools like Ascot here in L.A. and across the country need more access to the resources and the expertise. The mentors of My Hero project [that] provide programs like this should be the rule rather than the exception in American education and education across the world. If we are to educate the next generation of literate, eloquent and savvy consumers and producers of media, now more than ever MY HERO needs the support of more organizations like Max Factor and Scripps to continue this work in supporting educators like us, to continue to grow here in L.A. and beyond.
Dr. Ortiz expressed similar sentiments:
MY HERO brings an opportunity for children like Abigail to see hope. Especially after last week, you know, to see that that they could be the next president. I feel like MY HERO is needed today more than ever, not only in L.A. and the United States, but all over the world. Right? We need real life heroes to be in the schools and in our neighborhoods.
(From left to right) Abbigail Mira, Frank Guttler, and Dr. Ortiz receiving their awards at the MY HERO Film Festival ceremony on November 16th.Myron McClure Photography/The MY HERO Project
Read more about the MY HERO Media Arts Education program here.
About the MY HERO International Film Festival
The My Hero Film Festival is an annual event dedicated to showcasing films that celebrate the power of the human spirit. The festival provides a platform for filmmakers to share inspirational stories of everyday heroes. Thanks to generous sponsors, prizes are awarded to elementary, middle school, high school, college and professionals in a variety of categories including documentary, narrative, music video, animation, experimental, and more.
The festival aims to inspire audiences to recognize the heroism in their own lives and encourage positive actions in their communities. Learn more.
MY HERO International Film Festival Select Winners Showcase
Ascot Elementary School will be recognized along with MY HERO Media Arts Educator Frank Guttler, who leads MY HERO Media Arts Education program. Dr. Ortiz will also be honored for his remarkable leadership.
Join us for a screening of select winning films from the 2024 MY HERO International Film Festival on Saturday, November 16th from 3pm. Register here.
Page created on 11/12/2024 10:16:39 PM
Last edited 11/21/2024 11:25:46 PM
