CineYouth is an annual international film festival that features and celebrates filmmakers who are 22 years old and younger. This year the festival was held virtually, where five of DePaul’s very own filmmakers were showcased among the festival lineup. I had the opportunity to speak to 2020 graduate Ty Yamamoto and graduating senior Bridget Johnson about their films and their experiences at CineYouth this year.
Ty Yamamoto is the artist behind “Face Me,” where he explores Hollywood’s negative portrayals of Asian characters through a montage projected onto the faces of Asian American youth. He had the idea in mind for a while, but finally put it into action during his experimental film class where students were asked to create a short film utilizing found footage.
Yamamoto edited a three-minute montage of films dating from the early 1920s to 2015 that portrayed negative representations of Asian characters in cinema, which he then projected onto his subjects’ faces. He says the selection process for the found footage was an emotional experience for him, but he ultimately chose clips that he hoped would shock his subjects and elicit genuine, unfiltered responses from them.
Some clips bring tears to people’s eyes while other moments are so outlandish that laughter is the only answer. Once he had all the footage, Yamamoto found that constructing the final edit was straightforward.
“Something about the [editing] really clicked with me. I knew the footage I had was good, so when it came to editing, I just had to find the right rhythms for it,” said Yamamoto. “Because there are no words except for the words spoken in the [projected] films, the idea and the content had to come across through the edit.”
While Asian representation has been more prominent in front of and behind the screen now more than ever, Yamamoto believes filmmakers should make strides to represent all sorts of Asian people, especially South and South-East Asians who tend to receive less representation than East Asians.
As for other projects, Yamamoto is currently working on a short film that he hopes to shoot in the next few months. Along with that, he wants to continue to build more connections with Chicago filmmakers, especially after networking with many talented artists from CineYouth.
Yamamoto encourages young filmmakers to submit their work to festivals like CineYouth, sharing the positive experience he had at the festival. “It was a really amazing experience to get to know the other filmmakers in the weird virtual spaces, feel the little showers of praise from other people enjoying your work. I can’t recommend it enough,” he said.
“Face Me” was featured in The Cinemas of Chicago category at CineYouth. If you missed it, it will be playing at DePaul SCA’s Premiere Film Festival 2020-2021 and you can get your tickets here. You can find Ty Yamamoto on his personal Instagram, art Instagram, and Twitter. He also hosts weekly virtual origami classes so reserve a spot during his Wednesday or Saturday sessions if you’re interested in learning the Japanese art of folding paper.
Bridget Johnson is the director of the music video for Gem Tree’s song “Only Love.” It follows the story of two LGBT female skaters meeting at their favorite spot — the skate park — and crushing on one another while they show each other their favorite places around Chicago.
Johnson started this project during her music video production class, when she eventually found Gem Tree’s music on Soundcloud. She connected with the positive energy and happiness that Gem Tree portrays in their songs, and a simple direct message started their collaboration.
She also managed to receive sponsorships from clothing company L Oliver Designs and make-up company We Are Fluide whose products are featured in the music video.
Johnson wanted to put a lot of emphasis on color in the film, so working with a clothing company allowed her to cater to what the film needed. As for We Are Fluide, Johnson felt that partnering with a queer make-up brand would be a great fit, especially because many of the skater characters in the film identify as non-binary.
Johnson draws a lot from her own life when it pertains to the films she makes. “I express myself through filmmaking. Every character I create has a little part of me in it,” she said.
She also really enjoyed her time at the CineYouth Festival. She talks about how she participated on a panel with two other filmmakers, where she was able to speak with her filmmaking peers about their films and answer Q&As from the audience.
Alongside the opportunity for networking and showcasing one’s work, Johnson recommends that young filmmakers apply to CineYouth because of how affordable the submission fee is. Currently the fee for a student short film is $20-50 depending on how early or late the project is submitted.
Johnson is currently submitting her film “Perimortem” to film festivals. It follows struggling actress Ophelia as she manipulates her loved ones and family after participating in an experiment that allows her to see how she dies.
You can find Bridget Johnson on her Instagram, Youtube, and on Dare To Dream’s website. She is currently hosting the Dare To Dream Production’s Podcast where she and her team interview various notable figures from the filmmaking community. If you are interested in getting involved with Dare To Dream Productions, you can send an email to daretodreamproductioncompany@gmail.com. They are an inclusive space for anyone looking to collaborate, create, and make great stories together. Check out music artist Gem Tree at the following links: Instagram, Twitter, Soundcloud, Spotify.