This week we are joined by Sophia D’Agostino of the Nashville Film Festival and Bailey Saunders of Youth Villages, to share with us the work they do for foster children in the Middle Tennessee area through NashFilm Living Reel Project.
The Nashville Film Festival is a “seven day celebration of film, music, and culture” says D’Agostino.
This year marks the 57th festival, showcasing over 150 films from around the globe, of various genres.
Each Year, The Nashville Film Festival teams up with Youth Villages, a non-profit working to support Middle Tennessee families and youths in foster care, working to help them live successfully. Their goal is to prevent children from having to enter the foster care system by offering mental health treatment plans, educational programs, adoption options, and group homes for children. Youth Villages also hosts three foster homes just in the Middle Tennessee area, which provide children a place to live, grow, and thrive.
The Nashville Film Festival is a year round non-profit organization and one of the biggest ways they foster that work is through their various educational programs, free screenings for students, a summer film camp for teens, and the Living Reel Project which was created by a board member at Youth Villages.
The Living Reel Project is a collaborative project between the Nashville Film Festival and Youth Villages to offer young children and teens living in the Youth Villages foster homes the chance to write and record a song, with the support of industry professionals.
With the help of professional videographers, the experience is recorded into a short documentary style film that is then premiered at the Festival to help platform the children’s stories and make sure their voices are heard.
The documentary and song is then premiered at the Nashville Film Festival, creating a magical moment for the children involved giving them a space to get dressed up, walk a red carpet, and celebrate the art they’ve created.
The Nashville Film Festival invites the Nashville community to attend the premier of this documentary and song at the Regal of Greenhills on September 26 at 2:30 pm.
You can also get involved with both organizations through donation and volunteer opportunities located on their wesbites.
Additionally, Youth Villages is always taking applications to be a foster parent or to join their mentorship program. Applications to join those programs can be found at their website.
