Learning To Fly

Some have a smooth and easy path through graduate school. Rehema's was filled with rocks, briers, tumultuous weather and even a few trolls. This fairy-tale turned Brothers Grimm story chronicles Rehema's journey completing her thesis documentary "Learning to Fly." While an MFA student at Rochester Institute of Technology Rehema embarked on a documentary quest to embrace and amplify the underrepresented stories of Black teenage girls in Rochester, NY USA and in Lusaka, Zambia. The main focus of this text is on the pitfalls encountered in Rehema's efforts to produce, direct and shoot the documentary, which almost wasn't completed. She details the people and organizations that she worked with, the issues shooting teenagers in the foster-care program, shooting a documentary as a foreigner in another country and a whole lot more. She hopes that others can learn from her experiences. The text contained in this book was submitted as her written thesis for her MFA completion.

Autorentext

Rehema completed her BA at Bryn Mawr College and MFA at Rochester Institute of Technology, finishing with her thesis documentary Learning to Fly. This award winning international filmmaker is based in New York City and creates films that promote cultural awareness and diversity. Find out more at Rehema.com and TransformativeMedia.com

Klappentext

Some have a smooth and easy path through graduate school. Rehema's was filled with rocks, briers, tumultuous weather and even a few trolls. This fairy-tale turned Brothers Grimm story chronicles Rehema's journey completing her thesis documentary "Learning to Fly." While an MFA student at Rochester Institute of Technology Rehema embarked on a documentary quest to embrace and amplify the underrepresented stories of Black teenage girls in Rochester, NY USA and in Lusaka, Zambia. The main focus of this text is on the pitfalls encountered in Rehema's efforts to produce, direct and shoot the documentary, which almost wasn't completed. She details the people and organizations that she worked with, the issues shooting teenagers in the foster-care program, shooting a documentary as a foreigner in another country and a whole lot more. She hopes that others can learn from her experiences. The text contained in this book was submitted as her written thesis for her MFA completion.