ONE IN SEVEN: THE NEW FACE OF HUNGER

A startling account of hunger in some of America’s most affluent communities is entered into Lake Arrowhead’s 13th annual Film Festival. This insightful documentary, One in Seven: The New Face of Hunger created by high school students in Carlsbad, California screens at Lake Arrowhead Film Festival Saturday, May 19, 2:30PM.

Carlsbad High students Camille Posard and Trent Ryan began working last year on the short documentary One in Seven: The New Face of Hunger. They were joined by around 20 members of the high school’s broadcast journalism class. The film exposes the plight of those living in poverty in San Diego County facing hunger, even military families, lining up for hours to get food from charities.

Camille wrote the film, while Ryan assisted with editing and other technical aspects. Douglas Green, the broadcast journalism teacher at Carlsbad High, directed the film, and Camille’s mother, Lisa, served as producer. “We wanted to make a film that was about food, and that would inspire people to act,” said Camille, a senior at the school. “I think all of us who worked on the film were surprised by the number of people who are hungry and have few resources for food in our communities,” she added.

Making the film inspired the teens to found a nonprofit organization focused on creating an ongoing hunger-awareness campaign helping to address food security, while also helping the environment. The Donate Don’t Dump initiative, led in part by Camille’s younger sister Gabrielle, a student at San Dieguito Academy, calls on local grocers to donate surplus food to hunger-relief organizations, rather than dumping the product into landfills. The nonprofit is designed to empower young people on hunger issues, and already, there are 10 extended chapters of the group that have started nationwide. For information visit www.donatedontdump.org

“More than 96 billion pounds of good food goes to waste each year,” Camille said. “We want to change that.”

Green says the class will continue to look for important issues that resonate for its filmmaking projects. “Our niche is films that empower people,” he said.

Lisa Posard, the producer, said the students were inspired by making a film about hunger with a message likely to surprise people. “This is a film that, in a way, focuses on the American dream, and where it’s gone,” she said. “The students realized that concept was going to open some eyes.”

Meet the great team behind this documentary and nationwide effort to combat hunger at the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival after the screening of One In Seven: The New Face of Hunger.

Visit wwwlakerroheadfilmfestival.com to purchase tickets for the Lake Arrowhead Film Festival.