Dedicated to My Family

3:51 min
Personal Documentary
Nicole Sobottke, Director, Reel Grrls at 911 Media Arts Center, Producer

Winner of the Family and Society Award

Living in a teen shelter, Nicole has learned that family is where the heart is.

More About Dedicated to My Family from youth Director Nicole Sobottke

Nicole Sobottke

Hello, I'm the filmmaker of Dedicated to My Family. The movie is about my experience living in a homeless shelter, and looking for what I believed was a "perfect family." I was able to make my movie through a program called Reel Grrls. Reel Grrls teaches teenage girls how to produce their own videos and tell their own stories. I first heard about Reel Grrls from a wonderful woman named Suzy Everson. She is a mentor and a friend to me. I grew up in Everett, Washington. I've had the same best friend since I was 6 months old. My video explains a lot. Making it was a fun and exciting thing for me. My main interest is the improvement of animal welfare. I'm now currently in Cascades job corps and doing awesome. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Find more films on Family and Society from MediaRights.

Reel Grrls, Producer

Reel Grrls is a special program of 911 Media Arts Center in partnership with Seattle's Metrocenter YMCA and KCTS - The Public Network. By teaching teenage girls how to be critical television watchers and then producers of their own media, Reel Grrls gives them a voice in an arena where they are heavily targeted as consumers but where their artistic expression is seldom heard or seen. Reel Grrls is open to any girl age 14-18 who wants to produce a high quality video that will make a positive impact on other teenage girls. Girls get the chance to work with professional filmmakers in Seattle and nineteen other girls to create a video that represents issues that the GIRLS CARE ABOUT. Girls are asked to express their concerns, thoughts, and values through the medium of film. They learn how to write a script, create a storyboard, operate a digital camera, design lighting, use a recording studio, develop clay and clip art animation, and learn to edit on Final Cut Pro. By the end of the four months together, a Reel Grrls video is completed, a powerful collection of images and statements that represent a REAL image of teenage girls, http://www.reelgrrls.org.

911 Media Arts Center, Producer

911 Media Arts Center was incorporated in 1984 and is considered Washington State's premier Media Arts Center. Our mission is to support the expressive use of innovative media tools by providing the access, training and environment needed to create and exhibit works of enduring merit and artistic excellence. We believe everyone can and should have access to the tools of communication. http://www.911media.org.


Contact MediaRights to host a screening.

Warning: include(/var/www/mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm04/dedicated_to_my_family/news.inc.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /var/www/ExpressionEngine1.6.1/sites/ee.mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm04/media/dedicated_to_my_family.php on line 269

Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening '/var/www/mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm04/dedicated_to_my_family/news.inc.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') in /var/www/ExpressionEngine1.6.1/sites/ee.mediathatmattersfest.org/mtm04/media/dedicated_to_my_family.php on line 269

NEW: MediaRights launched the fifth annual Media That Matters Film Festival on June 1st, 2005. Watch the films!

Recent News

"This socially conscious film festival tackles big issues in short takes."
—The New Yorker Magazine

About the Films