FILM

Seven months after Hurricane Ike devastated Galveston, Mr. Robert Weiss's Ball High Advanced Media Technology Class will dedicate a story of hope to the Island and continue to give back to the Galveston ISD Educational Foundation.  Thursday, May 21, The Grand 1894 Opera House presents Ike: A Documentary.

Since the students' return following the wake of Hurricane Ike, the BHS Advanced Media Technology Class has spent numerous hours, on foot and in cars, having conversations with members of the community. The students, who call themselves the “Hurricane Story Tellers”, have conducted interviews with people who have lost everything, citizens who resided in the government-provided “Tent City”, top Galveston and Houston officials, numerous volunteer recovery workers, and individuals who rode out the storm.

“We started out the project with the intention of giving back to the community, but I was surprised to see how the students were healing their own pain through making this film,” says Mr. Weiss. “The students have certainly found a stronger connection to the community of Galveston.”

The film class is now making final arrangements to present their documentary to the community. The film will be premiered at The Grand 1894 Opera House at 7PM on Thursday, May 21, 2009. There will be no admission fee, but contributions will be welcomed. All of the proceeds will benefit the Galveston ISD Educational Foundation.

“We really feel the contribution to the Galveston ISD Educational Foundation is well-deserved, due to the extreme loss felt by the students and schools,” says Jennifer Willcut, a Ball High Senior. “With several schools closing in the district and the elimination of many classes, the return for students has been a difficult one. Through our film, we hope to bring the Galveston school district and the community back to its feet.”

Word of the project already has spread across the nation. People who have seen portions of the film have found it deeply moving. The class's fund-raising campaign will provide the students with scholarship money for costs incurred, such as film festival entry fees, promotional material costs and travel expenses for a trip to New York, where they will conduct interviews with Dan Rather and other prominent journalists.

Individuals and corporate sponsors are urged to provide much-needed in-kind services and/or donations in the following areas:

• Printing: Movie posters, postcards, business cards, and press kit duplication
• Transportation: Frequent flyer miles, corporate flight vouchers/sponsorship, rental passenger van
• Lodging: New York hotel sponsorship

For more information on the students" project, to make donations, view the film trailer, check updates, and learn more about how you can get involved, please visit www.ikedocumentary.com.