I've worked and learned at the Institute Create for TV, Cinema and New Media, an NGO in São Paulo that fosters projects in audiovisual production with youth and adolescents. The experience of producing cinema art made a major difference in my life and I decided to share this with other people as well. Our Youth Challenge group - Black Production - aims at creating space and visibility for black people, people from the LGBT community, and people from the periphery of São Paulo. That’s why this project is about fostering youth empowerment, helping them understand that they have a voice and capacity. We want to create empathy and mutual understanding for other people’s reality within society.
When I was still having classes at the Institute, I participated in a festival with many different universities, and our film ended up being the most applauded that night because it presented a different vision of the world, content from the outskirts which people were not used to seeing. I began to see the world with other eyes when I got together with these new people. Sometimes you don’t think in a certain manner and when other people share their thoughts, they can open a new world vision for you.
When I realized that I had access to these new environments and equipment I wanted to share this experience with my friends. And now, sharing with them the possibility of producing audiovisual content is very gratifying. What motivates me most is the opportunity of sharing my knowledge with these young people who normally don’t have access to it. When we talk about films, we are in fact talking about the root causes of social problems and about those who live in a vulnerable condition. When a young person finds out what he or she likes to do, this provides a meaning for their life.
I believe in the audiovisual language. As an artist, I know how hard it is to believe in my own artwork, but audiovisual communication has this power. It allows you to communicate your idea in a powerful way. It is important to understand other visions, have other experiences and give voice to those who are usually not listened to.
Audiovisual communication entered my life like a miracle. It helped me to wake up and I am sure it can help other young people to create a better future too. I want to make a difference, this is my mission. It is not about changing the past, but rather about the present and the future.
Anderson was one of the participants of the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge, which engages young people as co-creators of solutions to challenges linked to secondary-age education, employability and empowerment. Learn more about it here.
