MILWAUKEE - This Wednesday, an exciting premier takes place at Discovery World. Five short films written and produced by students will be unveiled.

It's called my Milwaukee: inner city teens learn the art of filmmaking by making films.

“If you like filmmaking, it's really a great experience.”

Under the program, five young adults got a camera, a mentor and most importantly a chance to tell their story.

“It was actually a dream come true for me cause I got to turn my music into actual video,” Job Harper said.

The Milwaukee International Film Festival sponsored the project. Students expressed themselves by sharing their view of Milwaukee.

“The festival. Just wanted to support it because it’s such a good way of tearing down the bricks, the walls that divide the races in this town,” Mark Metcalf said.

Students and mentors talk about the filmmaking project at the Running Rebels Community Center. Bonding, sharing, and trust play key roles.

“I always feel if you expose enough kids to a lot of things one of them will catch on and maybe that’s what they will want to do,” Tate Bunker said.

Those involved say the process was enriching.

“I think to give anybody a voice is really a powerful tool. Now we just have to listen to what’s going on,” Maxine Wishner said.


"They have stories to tell and they have merit. They're very smart. When we sat down with them, I was just blown away with how much they already knew,” Portia Cobb-Heyward said.

Thanks to My Milwaukee, young adults learn the art of self expression, and as they shine the spotlight on their own worlds they capture a better understanding of themselves.

“I enjoyed going to different places and doing different shots, trying to find out how we would put everything together,” Andre Burnett said.

The My Milwaukee premier will take place this Wednesday at Discovery World at 6:15.