Videography and Photography with the Fantauzzi Brothers

For the second year in a row Youth Voices, in collaboration with the Global Parish Project, is holding its Documentary Story-telling Summer Program. Over fifteen youths will learn photography and videography techniques to help tell their stories via Spoken Word.  The youths started the summer camp a week ago and today News Five caught up with the young poets and their instructors, the Fantauzzi Brothers.

Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Film Maker

“I’m actually here instructing young people on a video, photography and poetry workshop. We’re allowing young people to express themselves in news ways using photographs and video and really learning about the powers of putting words to visuals and that’s what we’re here doing.”

Andrea Polanco

“So who are some of these young people participating?”

Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Film Maker

Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi

“A lot of them were actually a part of an organization called youth voices that has done poetry work and have been working on poetry slams, and inviting other young people to write lyrics and work on expressing themselves. But a lot of them are new, they have never picked up camera, never written a poem and they are taking this class for the very first time and they’re really getting excited about this potential that they are now starting to see, how an end result could happen with their words and with photography and videography.”

Andrea Polanco

“Tell us about some of the work that they’ve been doing?”

Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Film Maker

“So they’ve had different assignments, the first piece was an identity piece where they talk about being Belizeans, where they come from. The second piece is talking about the issues in society, I think that a lot of the time we know that there are problems in the community; we have issues of violence, issues of drugs but a lot of the times we don’t hear from the youths themselves what are the challenges and what are some solutions they feel could help resolve these situations.”

Andrea Polanco

“So some of the work that they’re doing, can we expect to see them maybe online, on YouTube, on Facebook?”

Kahlil Jacobs-Fantauzzi, Film Maker

“Most definitely.  A lot of the photos that they’ve taken we’ve already published on the Youth Voices website and on Facebook. And we also are going to be looking at other media outlets so these young people’s work can be seen by all of Belize and the rest of the world.”

Andrea Polanco

“So tell me about some of the talents that you’re seeing in the Belizean students attending this camp?”

Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi

Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi

“Wow Belize really does have talent. It’s beautiful the poets are amazing to see their stories come out, their voice being heard.”

Andrea Polanco

“Do you see in some of these young students here something that they can make into career of the things that they’ve been learning?”

Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi

“That’s the goal that they can make a career off of the artwork that they love. But also just the idea of them expressing themselves is so important.”

This year’s camp is sponsored by NICH, Radisson, Youth for the Future and the Embassy of Mexico.  It will conclude on Friday with an exhibition of the students work. We’ll have more on the upcoming event in Thursday night’s newscast.