THE FILM
The Yale Summer High School movie, "Walk Right In," is now in post-production. The story behind the movie can be found in our [MEDIA KIT]. Its first full screening will be held at the YSHS reunion. Can't wait? Here's a [YouTube LINK] to a short trailer. Check it out. The complete movie should be a perfect addition to every classroom dealing with current social and educational issues. Contact us directly if you would like to be on a mailing list of people who would like to see the final film.
A WORD FROM THE DIRECTOR
There are certain events in one's life which have a profound impact and which are never forgotten. Such an event was the Yale Summer High School, 1968, of which I was the Director. The events and people of that summer have lingered with me ever since. Inspired in part by a call from a former student here in the Seattle area, I was encouraged to create a website and search out others who had shared in the experience. Hours of googling and internet searches turned up dozens of former participants. This in turn led to a series of phone conversations, and ultimately the decision to visit these people to piece together their memories of that summer and the role it played in their lives. The project received further impetus when the U.S. Supreme Court rejected school integration approaches in Seattle and Louisville. At that time, I happened to read a column in The New York Times lamenting the end of integration as the passing of a beautiful dream. The casual dismissal of that goal angered me. It's not just a dream, I thought. This is what America is about.
My goal became to create a film on the YSHS refuting the thesis of that article—to provide a beacon of hope and possibility and a model of what an ideal integrated educational community might look like. I emptied my bank account ( one of the prerogatives of old age), bought a Sony HD Camcorder, lighting, and sound equipment, loaded it all into a large molded golf case, and together with videographer Mike Manor made four trips around the country filming interviews with sixteen former students and eight former staff.
Upon our return, I transcribed and time-coded the interviews; captured the original tapes onto hard drives; sorted through the captured footage and began weaving them together into a rough paper narrative. I also recruited BJ Bullert, documentary filmmaker and teacher at Antioch University, who agreed to serve as consultant and assistant producer, as well as two volunteers from Maelstrom Productions, a small film company here in Seattle—Eric Morgret who consulted regularly on the film and Marth Christensen, who contributed to and raised funds for the project and continues to serve as business manager. The next and most critical piece came in the person of Amy Enser who came on board as editor and who skillfully created the first rough edit and the sampler you will see today.
For the most part to date, the project has been funded out of pocket. We are now at a point where I have virtually exhausted my own personal resources am now actively pursuing assistance and/or individuals who might be interested in aligning a coalition of donors to bring the film to fruition. We need assistance in paying for rights to historical and archival footage and music, funding for final editing, additional photography, post-production sound, titles, and optical work, as well as funding for insurance, and submission to film festivals. The project is a non-profit venture currently under the sponsorship of IFP (Independent Film Project) Seattle which has 501(c) 3 status, making all contributions tax-deductible. Thank you in advance for any interest or support you might contribute.
________ Larry Paros
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