In June 2000 Joe Hall founded The Ghetto Film School (GFS) to connect talented young people to artistic, educational and career opportunities in the world of film and video. Since that time, more than 400 students have participated in GFS programs and workshops, coming from all areas of New York City to our South Bronx training facilities for hands-on production and cinema studies courses. All GFS programs and activities are grounded in three basic tenets of our pedagogy:

• ASSETS-BASED teaching – recognizing the glass is also “half-full” with today’s urban youth – helps recognize and develop already existing strengths while building skills and confidence to excel at new challenges;

• CINEMA STUDIES support all production and technical training with an appreciative, historical understanding of classic and contemporary cinema – thereby expanding the student’s professional vocabulary and mobility in the field;
  
  
• TRAVEL AND MULTIPLE DISTRIBUTION PLATFORMS celebrate the students and their art – the annual GFS Public Screening is a major event for emerging filmmakers in NYC, and our student work appeared in over 20 film festivals throughout the country last year. GFS project shoots and screenings have brought our student producers to Los Angeles, Germany, Mexico City, Paris and dozens of universities throughout the United States.

GFS is an award-winning independent film organization (Mayor's Award for Arts and Culture, Rush Philanthropic Arts for Life Award, and The Union Square Award) and our students and their work have been featured on IFC TV, E!, BBC's Talking Movies, ABC News Now, CNN News, The NY Times, The Huffington Post and several film magazines.