Ghetto Film School may turn some heads with its unusual name, and that’s exactly the point. The non-profit high school, located in the South Bronx, makes strides to reclaim the buzz-word from other negative associations. Though the name may turn some off at first, its intentions are just the opposite. 

There is a story in the South Bronx not being told and Joe Hall, founder of GFS, believes the best way to tell that story is to give the youth in the area a voice.

“I wanted to help talented, creative people enter a world I understood wanted them,” Hall said.

Hall was on the University of Northern Iowa campus Thursday to talk about his film school.

Hall, a former film student himself, knows film is a medium that requires effort and, most importantly, interaction of students. They must write their own scripts, cast their own productions and learn camerawork to create meaning from images. 

In addition to normal coursework, film helps push students to think creatively and actively. Every year, GFS hosts their own film-viewing where students may present their projects to a wider audience.

With this emphasis on film, Samantha Kaster, senior communication/electronic media major, was in attendance after Hall spoke to her Capstone class. She saw it as a, “good way to learn about the industry.” 

Hall refers to “The Method” for the success of his school. There are four principles GFS follows: trust, authenticity, high expectations and meritocracy. 

Trust is displayed on the first day of class when each student receives his or her own camera to take home. Some students initially believe this to be a trick, but the idea behind authenticity is that there are no tricks, Hall said. 

 Everyone must be honest with each other, even if that means hurt feelings. 

Students are taught that expectations for their projects are extremely high. If a project isn’t good enough, it won’t be shown to a wider audience. 

Meritocracy, or merit-based leadership, recognizes the hard work of the students. 

Their hard work is rewarded in a big way. The more talented or hard-working students may be selected by a panel of judges for $1000 scholarships. 

As a non-profit organization, GFS must rely on others to make donations for these and other opportunities such as trips to foreign countries. Large corporations are, in fact, some of GFS’s largest contributors. 

The big corporations know that they’re making an investment in the future of television and film. Corporations rely on commercials, and commercials are a type of film, Derrick Cameron, artistic director at Ghetto Film School said.

Unlike other non-profits in the area, Ghetto Film School does not fear corporate funding, nor does it have a greater social justice angle. During its founding, the idea was to create a place that allowed youths to tell their own story, not a story centered around a foundation’s ideal, such as preventing violence or drug-use. 

The creation process, Hall said, relied heavily on the influence of those who had experienced the effects of other non-profit organizations. When asked what was most important for GFS to succeed, their response surprised him. 

“I was struck by how they almost immediately started talking about what they didn’t want… What they were seeking was, you know if it’s supposed to be a film school, make it a film school,” Hall said.