imMEDIAte Justice Productions (also known as imMEDIAte Justice Collective and simply imMEDIAte Justice) is a non-profit organization that teaches hands-on

filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...

and

media literacy Media literacy is an expanded conceptualization of literacy that includes the ability to access and analyze media messages as well as create, reflect and take action, using the power of information and communication to make a difference in the w ...

with a focus on

Reproductive Justice Reproductive justice is a critical feminist framework that was invented as a response to United States reproductive politics. The three core values of reproductive justice are the right to have a child, the right to not have a child, and the righ ...

to youth in the

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

and

South Los Angeles South Los Angeles, also known as South Central Los Angeles or simply South Central, is a region in southwestern Los Angeles County, lying mostly within the city limits of Los Angeles, south of downtown. It is "defined on Los Angeles city maps as a ...

areas. It was founded by Sylvia Raskin, Laney Rupp, and Tani Ikeda in 2008. The current program director is Tani Ikeda, who is a director/cinematographer working in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

. The program curriculum focuses on teaching documentary-style filmmaking with the aim of encouraging students to share their personal experiences.

Recent work

In April 2011, imMEDIAte Justice was included in Los Angeles' Women Action Media (WAM) conference where they presented a workshop on media literacy. Also in Spring 2011, they attended UC Berkeley's Empowering Women of Color Conference and led a mentors workshop in Media Justice and Health and led a

and sexuality workshop at the Sex Positive Conference at

CSU Long Beach California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

. In the Fall of 2010, they taught an animation curriculum designed and led by animator Laura Yilmaz, the students created four 30-second PSAs using pixillation animation techniques which premiered on December 3, 2010 at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in

Little Tokyo, Los Angeles Little Tokyo ( ja, リトル・トーキョー) also known as Little Tokyo Historic District, is an ethnically Japanese American district in downtown Los Angeles and the heart of the largest Japanese-American population in North America. It is t ...

Festivals and screenings

In 2009, they produced the short documentary-style film "Mariposa" directed by Espie Hernandez. The short has since gained considerable recognition and momentum spurring interviews from

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

, MTV, and

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

as well as a number of other media outlets. In 2010 "Mariposa" was screened at the Human Rights Watch Film Festival in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

. In March 2011 "Mariposa" was broadcast by

LinkTV Link TV, originally WorldLink TV, is a non-commercial American satellite television network providing what it describes as "diverse perspectives on world and national issues." It is carried nationally on DirecTV (ch. 375) and Dish Network (ch. ...

as a part of their "Youth Producing Change" program. In both 2010 and 2011 they premiered their latest work in pixillation animation at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in

. The event was covered by various local media outlets as well as KPFK's Feminist Magazine.

Grants and awards

In Summer 2008, imMEDIAte Justice received a $3,000 grant to work with youth in conjunction with the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy on short films addressing issues of Democracy. In Spring of 2009, the organization received a $3,000 Outstanding Commitment in Education Award from the

Clinton Global Initiative The Clinton Foundation (founded in 2001 as the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, and renamed in 2013 as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation) is a nonprofit organization under section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code. It was es ...

. In Spring 2009, the organization received a $10,000 grant from dosomething.org. In April 2010, they won a $25,000 grant from the

Pepsi Refresh Project The Pepsi Refresh Project (PRP) was a 2010 initiative by PepsiCo to award $20 million in grants to individuals, businesses and non-profits that promote a new idea that has a positive impact on their community, state, or the nation. The project is co ...

Media coverage

Their students have been interviewed by

, and Feminist Magazine on KPFK. They have been profiled in '' Make/Shift Magazine's'' issue Seven in Fall 2010, and by '' Good Magazine.'' They have also been covered in ''

Utne Reader ''Utne Reader'' (also known as ''Utne'') ( ) is a digital digest that collects and reprints articles on politics, culture, and the environment, generally from alternative media sources including journals, newsletters, weeklies, zines, music, and ...

''. In 2011, they were featured in a Huffington Post sponsor-generated article highlighting twelve different Pepsi Refresh grant winners.

References

{{Reflist

External links

imMEDIAte Justice Productions website

National Center for the Preservation of Democracy website
Youth empowerment organizations Youth-led media Organizations based in Los Angeles