This year’s 29th Starz Denver International Film Festival

Each year my young staff of fifteen to twenty something, second to fifth graders find themselves immersed into prepping for conducting interviews, attending screenings, standing and waiting with adult press on the Red Carpet, shaking hands with known and no so known men and women who make it the fantastic industry of filmmakers. This is how our journey begins...

Thursday, November 9, 2006
1:10 pm
Tonight, is the Red Carpet event opening the 29th Starz Denver International Film Festival. Today, I have just informed a fourth grader from Ashley Elementary School that she will be on the Red Carpet for the 29th Starz Denver International Film Festival. The talk around the school has teachers excited and giving high fives to Claudia, offering words of encouragement.

Before we even leave we have to research celebrities bios. Today, we focus on Tim Robbins. “I was so excited to have this opportunity. “I felt really happy because I was the only one selected from our school. I told my mom and she was excited. I was so nervous. I ate only a little bit.”

4:30 pm
Pick up Claudia at her school and travel to the Buell Theatre. Upon arriving Claudia comments, “I have never seen this place before. It is really big!”
Alante Thalley arrives. His claim to fame is that he was one of the reporters to interview actor, Morgan Freeman when he was at the film festival a year ago. An introduction is made and the two reporters work with volunteers to prep questions and their drafts for the magazine.

Alante Thailley comments “I think initially it will be difficult to communicate with Claudia, in light of the fact that we have never met before. Just before we start to interview people it’ll be a lot easier because working together will have to be a main goal. Right around when the independent film stars start to approach apprehension will follow. “


Saturday: November 11, 2006
10:30 am
Our team arrives to set up computers and tape recorders for our interviews this afternoon.
Present Madera Rogers, CEO/Founder, Colleen Carlson, coach and camera person and last but not least, Taylor Fonseca our 15 year old assistant. As we prep we notice, in one corner there gathers a group of unknown faces, little did we know that they were from the crew of the movie “Sensation of Sight”. Upstairs in the lobby of Hotel Monaco gathers individuals from the press to actors, producers and such, all in attendance for the 29th Starz Denver International Film Festival.

“What we do is very important,” states CEO/Founder of The Entertainment Project, Inc.; Madera E. Rogers. “It’s important because we literally introduce kids to the real world. We place young people into the environment of the industry. The Film Festival for example, allows our organization to provide opportunities to have junior film critics, reporters, and photographers with jobs interviewing local and international filmmakers.”

For Colleen Carlson , this is the first year with our organization at the festival. Colleen serves as women of many hats; camera-person, coach with the kids and typist. “This organization gives wonderful opportunities to kids. Things I could have only dreamed of at their age are actually happening to them! It’s amazing to see how quickly the kids can overcome being nervous and shake a filmmaker’s hand.”


“This is a great experience for me, and also for my teammates. I’m glad to be here! I’ve never been to a film festival, let alone interviewed anyone in the movie business. I am very excited at the fact that I have this opportunity. Bringing children to real world experiences is very awesome. This prepares them for many things in the future. The fact that kids are interviewing famous actors/actresses, directors, producers, etc. gives them practice and knowledge of being part of a press. ” Explains Taylor Fonseca, assistant editor/office support.
As the day progresses on we have numerous children who arrive to volunteer. There are three youth reporters ranging from 4th to tenth graders, to an 11 year who serves as assistant camerawomen and photographer. The young staff who participated are: Autumn Dyke, a fourth grader at Coronado Hills Elementary School, Aspen Silverberg; a tenth grader from Thornton High School, Taylor Fonseca, a tenth grader, and Saber. .


Interview Update with Roberto Forns-Broggi
Film House of Wisdom

“The House of Wisdom” is an inspirational short movie about the town of Saravejo, which had over 2million of its books and literature destroyed in the war of 1992. The maker, Roberto Forns-Broggi, wanted his film to express his feelings of remorse about the decrease in the power of books. Roberto expressed his thoughts on how it is possible to defeat terror and opression only through creative expression and writing. Ever since he was a young boy growing up in Peru, Roberto felt that books opened up windows of imagination to him like nothing else could, and knew of no other mind expanding projects until he saw the movie “2001” A Space Odyssey”. The film blew his mind and helped him realize that books are very powerful and could be used to really expand people’s horizons. After 1999, Roberto left Peru and moved to the U.S. Four years later, he went to the Starz Film Festival and viewed a film by John Lock-Goldar, “Notre Musique”, in which Saravejo was featured. The movie intrigued him, and a year later, he was in Saracejo with a digital camcorder, recording all he saw. By chance, Roberto stumbled upon the library of the town, which held no books. He was inspired, and later, after much more exploration, came back to the states and started to make his first iMovie. A year later, Roberto was surprised to find that the movie he had submitted to the committee of acceptance at the Star Film Festival, was actually going to be screened. He feels that this movie is his way to tell the world that books are true weapons of mass creativity, and are the only way to overcome danger and terror. Look for Roberto to make more influential movies in upcoming years.