A Short film dedicated to a former LBCC student who died by suicide debuted at the Art Theatre as part of a film event funded by the Long Beach Community Media Arts program.
On Sept. 12 the Art Theatre hosted a film event called “Double Date” featuring film diaries by up-and-coming directors from the Echo Park Film Center and Long Beach Media Community Arts (LBMCA) program.
The event started with film diaries featuring the works of five directors from LBMCA, inspired by the sights and sounds of Long Beach and filmed using Super 8 film.
Super 8mm is a type of motion picture film format that the filmmakers were able to create their films on due to it being funded by LBCMA.
Super 8 projector used to display film diaries from the LBCMA program at the Art Theatre in Long Beach, California. Filmmakers had to learn how to navigate this equipment with little to no experience. (Nick Eismann)
One of these five directors was inspired to make a film called “Shrouded” in dedication to her friend and former LBCC student, Samantha Mason who committed suicide in 2019.
The filmmaker used a purposefully mundane tone that took over the film as the imagery continued to depict the healing process that occurs when an individual is undergoing such grief while still having to deal with everyday life and routines.
Some of the imagery included a lonely woman on a rock and her running in the water, both of which were used as a metaphor for the healing process that filmmaker Ansem Rhyan had to endure.
“I had to really sit with grief at the beginning of lockdown,” Rhyan said. “The hardest part about grieving is the isolation.”
The LBCMA program is part of the Echo Park Film Collective and teaches free and low cost workshops such as sewing classes, block printing, zines and much more.
Beaux Mingus is the program director and runs their Place LB location alongside Ashley Aguirre.
Their mission focuses on “giving people the resources to make art and making it as easy as possible,” said Mingus.
The LBCMA program is a donation based program that is a tool for emerging filmmakers to learn and develop their skills.
“The more participation we have the more resources we can cultivate,” said Rhyan.
Natalie Ayala was another emerging filmmaker who was able to use the program to learn how to use Super 8 film.
Ayala said that her “lack of access and imposter syndrome,” were some of her biggest deterrents in not being able to express her deep passion for film.
“This was something that melted away when I discovered Long Beach Media Arts and Place LB,” said Ayala.
Her experience in an animation class that the program offered was motivating for Ayala because of the encouragement of free expression that Place LB offers to all participants.
Place LB is located at 2172 Pacific Ave in Long Beach and is open to everyone of all ages and their hours are constantly changing, however they are updated on their Instagram page @place.lb.
Students who are interested in expressing themselves through art should check out Place LB for free and low cost classes on a variety of different workshops.
“Art is not a commodity or a concept to only be accessed by a privileged few,” said Mingus.