THE PROGRAM
GFS is sponsored by the College of Santa Fe's (CSF) Moving Image Arts Department, and is held annually on the CSF campus during the summer. All funds for the school are raised through foundations and private donations.

The pilot program held in June 2000, was a day program for high school girls recruited from diverse ethnic, cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. The 2001 program was a two-week residential film school held June 17-29, 2001. Participants lived on campus at CSF. Faculty and staff include college mentors and a rotating faculty of moving image arts professionals.

During the film school, participants learn basic concepts of writing, producing, acting, documentary, editing, sound, cinematography and web site design. During evening screenings, the girls view a wide variety of work by professionals in the moving image field, allowing them the opportunity to engage in dialogue and critical thought. At the end of the program, there is a public screening of the final projects in our 35mm theater, THE SCREEN.
 

GREAT EXPECTATIONS
The objective of this program is to extend the knowledge and skill base of high school girls. The introduction to moving image arts provided by this program will afford participants an opportunity to expand their vision and encourage them to consider this field as a viable future. A broader objective is to provide them with the confidence and focus to embark on the pursuit of continued education and to extend an awareness of their options, including The College of Santa Fe's Moving Image Arts Department.

It is our hope that, through public screenings of professional films by women filmmakers as well as the exhibition of the participants' final projects, the absence of women in technology and media will be brought to the foreground, and women of all ages will be assisted and encouraged to contribute their voices and exert their personal influence in the media industries.

In addition, GFS provides its CSF student mentors with recognition for their advanced skills in moving image arts, and the opportunity to serve as tutors and role models for GFS participants.

Other plans for the future of this program include the startup of a Woman's Film Festival to run in conjunction with the summer program, and alliances with other similar programs assisting young women in the arts and technology.

VITAL STATISTICS
In Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls, author Mary Pipher makes this startling statement: "Something dramatic happens to girls in early adolescence. Just as planes and ships disappear mysteriously into the Bermuda Triangle, so do the selves of girls go down in droves. They lose their resiliency and optimism and become less curious and inclined to take risks." Numerous studies have corroborated this trend which, according to reports by the American Association of University Women, is exacerbated by an educational system that continues to favor male students.

A 1997 report published by the Directors Guild of America showed that women represented only 12.2% of memebership. Although the number of occupations in which women take part has grown, some fields still show a lack of representation by women, most notably, careers in science, engineering and technology. At CSF there were 25 Moving Image Arts students in the 2000 graduating class; five of them were women. Among the 65 incoming freshman in the department in 2001, only 19 are women. No other department reports this gender imbalance which, unfortunately, is reflected in nationwide research which indicates that women at the five largest film schools make up only 36% of all incoming students (ÒBehind BarsÓ by Christine Spines, Premiere magazine's "Women in Hollywood", January, 2000). According to a report by the American Association of University WomenÕs Educational Foundation (2000), while the gaps in math and science achievement have narrowed for girls, a major new gender gap in technology has developed. This imbalance urgently needs to be addressed.