CCES Junior Shows Documentary Film at 2018 Shalom Festival in Greenville!

CCES Junior Emma Akerhielm presents her documentary “Standing up for Civil Rights” this weekend at Shalom Fest 2018! Emma created the 15 minute film during her Documentary Film class at CCES last year as a sophomore. In the film, Emma interviews Roger Thompson, a Temple member who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama as a young teen. She also interviews Rabbi Master on the Jewish perspective on standing up for civil rights.

 

This project began in her sophomore year while she was taking Mr. Riley’s documentary and film class. Students were assigned a final project, and it could be on any topic they wanted. Emma states, “This made me think of a friend of mine named Roger Thompson, who I interviewed in 8th grade for a project on segregation. I remembered how he had been involved in the Civil Rights movement and wanted to learn more about it, so I chose to do my documentary on him.” After talking with Mr. Riley about her topic, she decided to tie in religion and how Jewish people helped with the Civil Rights movement.

 

Emma filmed most of the documentary last year in Mr. Riley’s class, but only having about a month to work on the project, she wasn't able to fully complete it. Throughout her junior year, with the help of Mr. Riley, she edited the film during free periods, after school, or anytime she was available. “I have become passionate about this documentary,” Emma said, “and I wanted to put in the extra work to make the film the best it can be. This experience has made me more interested in film and documentary making. I have also enjoyed learning about Roger’s involvement in the Civil Rights movement. It has made me think about how we should stand up for what we believe in today.”

 

Click here to view Emma's documentary film, “Standing up for Civil Rights”.