DN Editorial: Forget Cannes

FORGET CANNES; the must-visit film festival this month happens tonight, in Philadelphia. It's going to be filled with heavy hitters, like the U.S. Attorney and community members who will watch the premiere work of young filmmakers from local high schools.

The Voices of Youth Anti-Violence project, created by U.S. Attorney Zane David Memeger, sent 32 students from four Northwest Philadelphia schools through an eight-week curriculum where they learned filmmaking, and visited the courts and other stops in the criminal-justice system. The results are two student-made films airing tonight at 7.

That film festival is followed the next day by a panel discussion and town-hall meeting at 9:30 a.m. that will feature young people who have been affected by violence and will talk about its impact on their lives.

Both promise to be powerful testaments from young people, and both are open to the public and will be held at Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church, 2800 W. Cheltenham Ave. Philadelphia. *