When you think about Los Angeles’ creative economy, the first thing that comes to mind is probably the entertainment industry: film, television, digital media, the works. And while the Snap Foundation is committed to creating pathways for youth to engage in all facets of our city’s expansive creative economy (and there are many!), the LA community, indeed, has a particularly special relationship with “show business.”

The City of Los Angeles’ Economic & Workforce Development Department reports that LA’s film and digital media industry injects over $30 billion into California’s overall economy and supports working Angelenos with a whopping 200,000+ job opportunities, many of which are roles in film production. Yet, despite such an abundance of work opportunities, not everyone has had an equal shot at establishing a filmmaking career; and some young people may not even consider a film career a real possibility. Enter Ghetto Film School: a nonprofit on a mission to teach, develop, and celebrate tomorrow’s filmmakers through high-quality education and early-career support.

Established in 2000, Ghetto Film School—which found its footing in the Bronx borough of New York City but now offers programming in NYC, Los Angeles, and London—serves 8,000 storytellers every year. Their programs also challenge social barriers that have long hampered the film industry, such as systemic racism, sexism, and socioeconomic injustice. For instance, 55 percent of Ghetto Film School participants are Hispanic/Latinx, 35 percent are Black, and over half are women or girls. Additionally, GFS programs are completely free: an extraordinary hallmark of the organization that ensures all youth, including those from lower-income backgrounds, can pursue their creative aspirations.

So what exactly is the “curriculum” at GFS? For starters, there’s the Fellows program, which comprises film courses at the graduate level. “We take the best coursework of top film schools like USC, AFI, Columbia—merge them into one program and then giving it to students for free, right along their normal high school coursework,” explains Ghetto Film School Chief Executive Officer Montea Robinson. But if that gist isn’t already impressive enough, the full story of the program paints an even more remarkable picture. GFS Fellows is a visual storytelling course for high schoolers that immerses them in more than 1,000 hours of college-level training over 30 months. Courses in the program cover both the art and business of cinematic storytelling, along with production training—they’re also taught by leading filmmakers and industry experts. During their 2½ years as fellows, students visit live sets and studios, receive college application advising and test prep support, and are placed at internships at top media and creative companies. Students who enroll long to fill a variety of roles; some are aspiring screenwriters, directors, or producers, while others are gaffers, sound engineers, production designers, and beyond.

A few standout elements of the Fellows program are the GFS International Table Read and International Thesis Film project: exciting events (coming to life within each respective Fellows location) that present students with two uniquely edifying opportunities as young filmmakers. First comes the International Table Read—which, unlike a workshop (where students mostly receive feedback from their fellow learners) empowers GFS fellows by giving them the space to present their working scripts to award-winning directors, actors, and producers.

Moreover, the table reading provides the fellows with an eager audience—much of which comprises GFS donors who are passionate about uplifting young filmmakers through education, access, and support. “Firstly, we want our students to get high-level feedback on the scripts they’re about to produce,” says Robinson. “But the International Table Read is also the best way for Ghetto Film School to showcase the essence of our program, because so much of what we do as an organization relies on that interactive element and having ‘touch’ with the industry—so we invite our supporters to be a part of the table reading experience as well.”

Following the GFS International Table Read is, as Robinson noted, the full-fledged production itself. Manifesting as Ghetto Film School’s version of a thesis project, the distinctive International Thesis Film project has historically unfolded in all sorts of places, from Spain (in 2016) and Italy (2019) to Iceland (2022) and the Dominican Republic (2023). That’s right—included in the free program is a 10-day overseas experience where students can apply all they’ve learned to the real-world production of the short film they’ve written. And, indeed, they’ve learned plenty, not just regarding the ropes of production but also the filmmaking tradition of the international location they’re filming in. During their GFS coursework, students are required to study both the classic and contemporary cinema of the destination, as well as craft their scripts based on the culture, history, and landscape of the location. Robinson further notes that the short films are produced in the language of the selected country’s culture. The culmination of the film project is the GFS International Thesis Film Premiere: a celebration of the fellows and their finished work, attended by A-list actors and filmmaking professionals. (And, after completing GFS Fellows, graduates are enrolled in GFS Roster, a program that connects them to jobs, internships, and networking opportunities.)

Given the rigor of the Fellows program, one might assume partaking in the program would require students to already have a basic film studies education before enrolling in Ghetto Film School. They’d be mistaken, though—no prior filmmaking experience is required of prospective fellows. This policy is largely driven by the nonprofit’s deep understanding of arts inequity. “What makes entering into this industry not inclusive is the fact that aspects like education and technology are niche and expensive,” Robinson notes. 

Another key strategy of Ghetto Film School’s recruitment is that they work “on the offense,” as Robinson puts it. For instance, rather than exclusively approaching educators who teach arts-related classes, they make a conscious effort to connect with students where they least expect it—like in 4th-period geometry. “Our staff are going into the streets, we’re talking to guidance counselors, we’re asking math teachers if we can have 15 minutes to show them our presentation,” explains Robinson. “We want to make sure we’re constantly expanding our reach.” This proactive recruitment approach also levels the playing field for teenagers attending underserved schools that may not offer high-quality arts education classes—if any at all. (A 2022 study by research nonprofit SRI Education found that only 11% of schools meet California’s law-mandated requirements for visual and performing arts education.)

For aspiring teen filmmakers, Ghetto Film School sounds like a dream, though Robinson will admit there is one catch. “We believe in high expectations at GFS,” she says, smiling. “We believe failure is a teacher. We have students creating over and over and over, because we know that in order for a young director to break [into the industry], they need to have developed storytelling skills that are at the Hollywood level of competition. A young director might not get their break until they’re 35, so we need to catch them when they’re 16.”

Stiff competition and the waiting game are just two challenges Ghetto Film School prepares its Los Angeles fellows for—others include Hollywood’s uncertain political landscape, which especially impacts GFS students, most of whom represent underrepresented communities. Namely, despite the film industry making some strides in matters of diversity, equity, and inclusion over the last few years (largely driven by reignited calls for social justice in 2020), data has shown that racial, ethnic, and gender diversity in some areas of the industry, such as theatrical film, have slid back to 2019 levels, as noted in UCLA’s 2023 Hollywood Diversity Report. Ghetto Film School is equipping young filmmakers with everything they need to show up and show out—even when that bubble bursts.

“We’re anticipating the moment where the DEI pendulum swings back; where the Hollywood streaming spending spree has come to a halt; where the competition is higher and the opportunities are fewer,” Robinson explains. “So, when that does happen, we want our student to continue to have meaningful opportunities and pathways in the industry.” In the even longer run, though, Ghetto Film School—like the most earnest of mission-driven nonprofits—hopes to push the culture so far forward that their organization no longer needs to exist.

“The goal is to put ourselves out of business,” says Robinson. “We want to continue to equip young artists with skills and opportunities that make them successful—so much that the industry does transform into a more genuinely inclusive, diverse place.”

Check out ghettofilm.org to support or learn more about Ghetto Film School.