SMHS Hosts Ethnic Studies Film Festival

Santa Maria High School’s Chicano/Latino Studies students will be hosting an Ethnic Studies Film Festival from 3 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. on May 16.

All students from SMHS are welcome to attend this free event that will take place inside room 615. The festival features films such as Spare Parts, The Hate You Give, and La Misma Luna (Under the Same Moon). There will also be free food, desserts, aguas frescas, and a chance to win amazing prizes.

“Many Hollywood films still lack the diversity of our state and nation. When students get to see themselves in movies, it affirms that their stories, history, and culture matters. When we learn the backgrounds of cultures that differ from our own, we can appreciate their struggles and honor our common humanity.” – SMHS Chicano/Latino Studies teacher Ricardo Valencia

“We would like to thank Youth Making Change and the Fund for Santa Barbara for sponsoring this event. We want our project to make people of color in our community feel accepted. Looking at the demographics in our schools or even in the whole state of California, most of us are minorities, making up more than half of the population.” – Leslie Hernandez, Senior

“We want to showcase BI-POC (Black Indigenous- People of Color) through film so that our students and community can feel seen. We still continue to be underrepresented and misrepresented. You mostly see people of color playing in films as the poor maids or gardeners, but there is more to us than our ability to do physical work that others don't. For this reason, we have decided to honor amazing people and their stories.” – Ashley Mendez, Senior

SMJUHSD Media Contact: Public Information Officer Kenny Klein 805-709-1454 or kklein@smjuhsd.org