Ute Youth Video Production Workshop

A Leadership Videography Workshop & Documentary Film

Approved for 501c3 fiscal sponsorship by Boulder County Arts Alliance

In November 2019, when Bruce Borowsky was in Palestine, he was honored to volunteer a day of teaching videography skills to a group of twenty motivated, forward-thinking Palestinian college students and upcoming social/business leaders, with assistance from Palestinian journalist Rafa Musmar and photographer Bruce Shaffer. Bruce was so impressed by their commitment to personal, societal, and national advancement, that as soon as he arrived back in the U.S., he started planning to return to teach a week-long workshop to give them higher-level technical skills and, through a documentary film, bring their voices and message of hope and change to a wide audience and to the forefront of Palestinian conversation. Our returning team of students is eager for this workshop and has already begun online preparations with us.

Middle East cooperation, stability, and prosperity - matters of importance to all of us - demand the active involvement of younger change agents in all areas of civic life, yet political, economic, and social barriers limit their ability to effectively engage, so we hope you’ll agree that Voices is worthy of your financial support.

Please help us make this project possible,

to spread the sights and sounds of optimism, change, and hope!

Our project aims to help jumpstart these future leaders by:

(a) Teaching a 5-day professional video production workshop at no charge, where they’ll learn to elevate and amplify their voices, programs, products, and services using the power of video; and

(b) Producing a documentary film highlighting their vision and challenges, with the students doing all the videotaping and interviewing using their newly-acquired skills.

Together, we’ll use visually-powerful stories to show regional and international audiences the future these young people envision and inspire support for their activities. Along with the students’ in-studio and on-location narrative content, we’ll weave in scenes from their daily lives and neighborhoods, and help illustrate the challenges they’ll face and the determination and teamwork they’ll need to succeed.

We need your support to make this happen!

As an established filmmaker, Bruce Borowsky is able to offer the workshop and all of the project’s video production as a volunteer, in an effort to create an honest, uncompromised portrait of these future leaders’ transformational hopes. The finished video will be submitted to film festivals, and be made available to donors and relevant organizations for screenings. Subject to additional funding and travel restrictions, students may be invited to the screenings to participate as panelists for audience discussions.

The Workshop and Documentary Film

The 5-day workshop is for 8 to 12 students ages 18-30, who are highly motivated toward civic engagement, with leadership potential. It will be held during a one-week period in Palestine during Winter 2022, subject to COVID-19 conditions. Students will learn basic and advanced documentary videography skills, and use their new skills to be hands-on involved in making the project video. Learning and working together, we’ll create a safe space for open and honest conversation while accommodating privacy and modesty concerns.

The documentary video will explore participants’ views on topics such as:

Personal and Communal goals.
Cultural/Social change, Womens’ issues, and Gender roles.
Education and Career Opportunities.
Civil Liberties, Democracy and Civic Responsibility.
National goals, strategies, and leadership.

Team

Producer / Director / Cameraman Bruce Borowsky is an award-winning professional photographer and filmmaker, specializing in corporate and documentary videos. His many career accomplishments include serving as Chief Photographer for the City of Miami Beach; working as the full-time assistant for the renowned worldwide adventure photographer Galen Rowell; producing the Outdoor Channel’s nationally televised The Climbing Show for 5 years; and now producing corporate videos and documentaries for his company, Pixel Mill Studios in Boulder, Colorado, filming in diverse locations such as Cuba, Myanmar, Egypt, China, Turkey, Japan, and Australia. Examples of Bruce’s work can be seen HERE, as well as these two videos:

Co-producer/Photographer Bruce Shaffer will be regional liaison/assistant to Borowsky, shooting still photography for the project, and assisting with video production. Bruce divides his time between Colorado and Jerusalem, where he’s active with a variety of NGOs and leads photography workshops for Israeli and Palestinian youth. Bruce’s work has appeared in several publications, websites, documentaries, and gallery exhibitions.

Budget

The total amount budgeted for the workshop/video project is a modest $15,000 USD. Borowsky and Shaffer are volunteering their services for the workshop and filmmaking, along with video production/editing/post-production, and screening efforts; and will provide their professional cameras, lighting, and audio equipment, editing platforms, and graphics at no cost.

The all-inclusive budget covers r/t airfare from the U.S., regional ground transportation, meals and lodging in Palestine; local Palestinian project management and assistance, translation, classroom space, third-party interviews coordinator, and local studio facilities; local Palestinian music and music rights; video subtitling/captioning; archival footage; supplies; and meals during the production week.