Goal

Goals of the Program

 The EFEX Project seeks to empower and enliven students through the process of creative practice and collaboration necessary in the production of a film. In partnering college and high school students, we seek to offer opportunities to youth interested in media production who are without such opportunities in the their home schools. The project intends to build bridges to diversity and communication between U-M students and the surrounding communities, demonstrating the power of civic engagement. Undergraduates will put skills learned in their courses to use in Detroit and metro-area communities, teaching others what they know as a way to learn about their own discipline. Through teaching and an advanced production experience, U-M scholars will gain new insights into their own disciplines and learn from student collaborators in other disciplines as well.

The success of the skill building aspects of the course is demonstrated through collaborative video projects created during the class, and ultimately, the quality of the final feature film. The projects, documentary, and films will receive public screenings in Ann Arbor, Detroit, and Los Angeles through the University Media Entertainment Coalition, our alumni group. Our ultimate ambition for the films, created now and in the futures, is to have them screened competitively at national and international film festivals, with the hope that they will be chosen by a major studio for commercial distribution.

Regardless of commercial success, we will screen Bilal's Stand at high schools throughout southeast Michigan as a catalyst for discussions about the issues that arise with the viewing of the film – notably, the problems faced by under-privileged teens as they graduate high school and navigate between familial and community ties, and the ability, or lack thereof, to pursue a higher education. Other issues that arise are drug use, race, religion, teen pregnancy, and economic hardship.