COLUMBIA, Mo. – Hosted by Stephens College, the four-week Citizen Jane Film Academy for Columbia Public School (CPS) girls will culminate in a 1 p.m. screening on Friday, June 29, in Studio A in the lower level of Helis Communication Center at Stephens College. Media are invited to attend.

Approximately 20 girls – rising 7th through 12th graders  – participated in the all-day academy, which was offered in two-week sections in June, where they learned how to make television shows and films. High school students were able to earn a half hour of fine arts credit due to the arrangement between Stephens and CPS, now in its second year. The academy is supervised by Stephens’ film professor Kerri Yost; teachers are Amy Drtina, who teaches drama at Smithton Middle School, and Andrea Sporcic, an adjunct film instructor at Stephens.

Columbia Access Television (CAT) staff provided training to academy students in the HD facilities in Studio A at Stephens. Students will receive free membership at CAT – the City’s public access channel, located at Stephens – this next year to further hone the skills they developed.

Media are also invited to go behind the scenes this week: from 12:30-2:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, the students will be in studio taping the show to be presented on Friday. The show is about the camp and includes films and student interviews.

The academy is affiliated with the Citizen Jane Film Festival, hosted by Stephens College and co-founded by Yost, to support and celebrate work by women filmmakers. Citizen Jane also exists to help carve strong, non-stereotypical roles for women in film, both in front of and behind the camera ­– especially crucial in light of the consistent underrepresentation of women in powerful roles within the industry.

Academy students are creating commercials that will screen at the festival during Oct. 19-21, 2012.

The Stephens College film program emphasizes a hands-on learning experience beginning the freshman year. Students work in teams to create narrative and documentary films. Internships are encouraged, and students have access to a range of film and television industry connections.

Stephens College, established in 1833, is historically committed to meeting the changing needs of women. Stephens prepares students to become leaders and innovators in a rapidly changing world, and engages lifelong learners in an educational experience characterized by intellectual rigor, creative expression and professional practice.

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