Students find their heroes

Wendy Millette and SchoolPower have launched a new media arts project at Laguna Beach schools this year, based on Millette’s My Hero Project.

For the last few months, the filmmaker and educator has been working with Laguna Beach High School students in Pam MacKay’s Video Class to create short “hero” videos to be shared in class and online. Selected works will be presented at the upcoming Laguna Hero Festival to be held May 28 at [seven-degrees], according to Millette.

Millette, an instructor at the Community Learning Center in the early 1980s, went on to earn her master’s in film at USC and returned to Laguna Beach to run the My Hero Short Film Festival in 2005. The festival invites short films that depict local heroes.

“We begin the workshops brainstorming about heroes and heroism using short films on the www.myhero.com website as inspiration,” Millette said. “Then students decided on a hero, or an organization helping others in the community or an aspect of the concept of heroism they wanted to explore.”

Students then worked in teams to produce short videos ranging from two to 10 minutes in length. Some of this year’s short films highlight the work of the Marine Mammal Center, and pay tribute to drama teacher Mark Dressler. Another short film honors the work of the Invisible Children Organization who brings awareness to the child soldiers of Uganda. One special project celebrates Lagunan Skipper Carillo on and off the baseball field, Millette said.

“Students working with Thurston’s Video teacher, Andy Crisp, are just getting started on their hero projects and we are excited to see what hero stories they decide to tell,” Millette said.

The MY HERO Project welcomes submissions of short videos and artwork that celebrates heroes from Laguna Beach from all community members for the second annual Laguna Hero Festival.

The deadline to submit short films and art work for the Laguna Hero Fest is May 1.

Everyone is invited to attend the Laguna Hero Festival, 7 p.m. May 28 at [seven-degrees].

For ticket information, call (949) 376-5964 or e-mail myhero@myheroproject.org.

CINDY FRAZIER is city editor of the Coastline Pilot. She can be contacted at (949) 380-4321 or cindy.frazier@latimes.com.