Stephens Partners with CPS and CAT for Citizen Jane Film Academy
In June, the Stephens College campus was alive with a much younger than usual demographic of women: rising 7th- through 12th-grade girls in the Columbia Public Schools (CPS) who participated in a four-week, all-day Citizen Jane Film Academy. The academy is affiliated with the Citizen Jane Film Festival, hosted by Stephens and co-founded by Stephens’ film professor Kerri Yost, to support and celebrate work by women filmmakers.
During the academy, which was offered in two-week sections in June, the girls learned how to make television shows and films, and created commercials that will be screened at the festival, which runs Oct. 19-21. High school students also earned a half hour of fine arts credit due to the arrangement between Stephens and CPS, now in its second year. As a concluding project, students created and screened a show about the camp, which featured their own films and student interviews.
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.
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.
Interested in studying film at Stephens? Learn more >
In the Media: Citizen Jane film class expands in second year (Columbia Daily Tribune)
