Academy of Light: Fundraiser for a filmmaking program for teenagers

5 years ago we got on a video call with Jugani, who told us she wanted to make a film about her own life. And that if her parents did not allow, she was willing to run away from home for it. Today Jugani is studying liberal arts in the US on a hundred percent scholarship after graduating from UWC Wales (also on a 100 percent scholarship). Academy of Light was a small pit-stop in her journey, where we co-created a film together about the beginnings of her journey as a part of an anthology titled READY STEADY.

At Lighthouse we’re passionate about using cinema to build better lives. Academy of Light is our Young Adult training program, where we teach storytelling and visual communication to young adults from under-resourced backgrounds in order for them to build skills that enhance their employability.

Research out of India shows that less than 25% of students make it to graduation and out of the ones who do - half of the graduates are considered unemployable. A key employability skill is effective communication skills. 

The more we spoke to young adults, the more we noticed another trend. Teens today spend an enormous amount of time on screen media. We checked, and it’s 5-8 hours a day. That’s a whopping amount of time. 

We looked at these two trends and decided to connect the dots.That was the beginning of Academy of Light, with its unique curriculum and design, to use the medium of video creation to better the communication skills of teenagers, especially those from under-resourced and vulnerable backgrounds. 

After successfully launching in Mumbai and Pune, we are now starting operations in Goa where we will be setting up our foundational batch with children of migrant workers.

We’re raising INR 10 Lakhs to be able to support this first batch of students in Goa through an entire year and leave them with a foot in the door of the media industry.

The funds will go directly towards supporting 30 students in all ways possible: From hiring trainers, getting industry mentors, getting equipment, covering production costs of their short films, helping with building their portfolios, all the way to supporting them through an internship at the end of the year.

The PROGRAM

The AOL program runs like a mini-film school where students from under-resourced backgrounds learn to make films on their phones with a focus on storytelling and visual communication. They learn the bare basics of characters, plots, narratives on one hand and photography, sound, titling and publishing on the other. 

Each module of 20 hours conducted over 7 weeks, ends in a 3-5 minute short film headlined by each student. At the last session of the module, we - along with the kids - organise a premiere where we showcase the best short films that come out of the module. Each year - we run 4 such modules.

An Overview of the AOL Module

The step by step process for the module

An example of a lesson Plan

One of our student showcases was hosted by Roy Kapur Films in Mumbai

The posters of the student films made in one of the AOL programs conducted at Panaah Communities at Pune 

A short film by Shreya Pandhare titled ‘Taiyaari”

After having launched the program in centres in Mumbai and Pune, we are now setting up a school in Goa: where we work with children of migrant workers to enable them to access livelihood in industries different from where their parents work. We truly believe that filmmaking is an incredible way to build communication skills, which in turn can be used across disciplines and to increase chances of employability in different industries.

The AOL program is committed to help these young adults develop their communication skills along with skills like critical thinking, collaboration, and confidence in order to help the students with their professional development, ultimately working towards their employability in whichever field and sector they choose. 

For more details, you can visit our website here. Student films made in the AOL program are available here. Please feel free to drop us a line at: beep@lighthousestudios.co