By Gabbie Burton
Contributing Writer

Invisible No More, a new short documentary that will grace the screen of Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center in West Chester on July 24, has a far from typical filmmaking crew. 

The auteurs of the upcoming film are not professionals in the industry, or students completing a class project. In contrast, they are teenagers on probation.

The film is a culmination of three years of work from Arts Holding Hands and Hearts’ (AHHAH) Restorative Justice Filmmaking Program, which gives Chester County youth on probation the ability and freedom to create a documentary film to fulfill community service requirements and learn new skills. The upcoming viewing is the third annual Restorative Justice Open House and the screening is just part one of a documentary series that will continue to grow through the program.

“Using restorative justice in the documentary provides an alternative, as most of community service is physical labor,” said Alyssa Brown, senior peer support and restorative justice coordinator for AHHAH. “I believe one of our kids described it perfectly: that most community service is almost like negative reinforcement, but that provides a positive reinforcement. Consequently, we are able to see a lot of positive change in the kids.”

AHHAH’s founder Jan Michener added that though the project fulfills probation community service requirements for the teens involved, AHHAH is “not there to fix anyone” but rather, they are there to “create a safe space” for participants to grow and thrive through a creative outlet.

While having a healthy outlet of any kind is beneficial to the kids in the program, Michener and Brown feel that the benefits of a creative outlet, such as filmmaking, are especially powerful.

“We’re all born to be creative, we’re meant to create, and the beauty and the gift of filmmaking and photography is hearing each other’s stories and seeing things through new eyes,” Michener said. “You should see the kids when they’re interviewing and photographing. They are listening so intently to each other. We’re meant to be heard and to be seen, and they’re seeing each other, and they know that they’re being heard.”

Unleashing new creative passions

Brown emphasized that the program is connecting the film’s student filmmakers to newfound passions they would have never previously had the opportunity to connect with.

“We have a kid who came in this year, and I don’t think he had ever really touched a camera in his life, but he’s an amazing photographer, and he absolutely lights up when he picks up the camera,” Brown said. “We have another girl who is one of the most caring people on this planet, and she’s found her passion through interviewing others and talking to others.”

Part one of Invisible No More highlights the creative passions of its creators while also providing an introduction to each individual’s unique stories. One participant involved, Khalil, explained his feelings on the project in a recent AHHAH press release.

“This program has been a game changer in my life by allowing me to tell stories and connect with others on a deeper level,” he said. “It has helped me develop a new perspective, appreciate the beauty in life, and express myself in ways I never thought was possible. I’m grateful for the opportunities it has brought me and look forward to continuing to explore and grow through photography and videography.”

More than anything, the biggest takeaway that AHHAH programs and Invisible No More return to is the practice of growth. For Michener and Brown, seeing that evolution in the kids never gets old.

“We had a kid who came this year who on their very first day didn’t want to talk to anybody, and was completely closed off from every single person,” Brown said. “By the end of the program, they were coming in with a smile on their face, opening up to everybody, and is also one of the best photographers we’ve ever had.”

“On that same story,” Michener added, “one day at the check-in, our filmmaking team came in and we asked them, ‘What’s your energy level? How full is your fuel tank?’ At the start of the day, they said that it was at zero, but by the end of the session, they said it was at 1,000.”

Michener and Brown explained how the program is designed to keep the kids involved for as long as they are willing with opportunities to mentor and take on more responsibilities as they progress. While the documentary is “totally the students’ project,” they receive help from professionals in photography and filmmaking to help teach and guide the process. Sandrien De Bruijn of Sandrien B. Photography, Sean Taylor of Visual Jedi and Shelly Hoffman - a five-time Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker - are some of the experts helping on the project.

Premiere screening

Michener hopes the Restorative Justice Open House and Screening on July 24 will not only highlight the work of the kids, but hopefully attract more support from local photographers, videographers and filmmakers to support the project moving forward. Throughout the event, a live digital interaction will invite audience members to reflect on the film and share their emotional responses in real time. Certificates and gifts will be presented to the student filmmakers, and the community will be invited to help sponsor the next phase of the program, including the creation of Invisible No More: Part 2.

The event’s sponsors include Presence Bank, MacElree Harvey, Greg and Lauren Sarian , Richard and Kay Dowgun, the YoQi Class at Kennett Library, Roy Smith, Lou Baccaria and C-Money Consulting.

While the upcoming event marks a celebration and milestone in the kids’ filmmaking journey, the work is still far from over. Michener, Brown, the kids and the rest of the team at AHHAH still have a larger purpose to fulfill pushing them forward.

“We want to close the cradle to prison pipeline, we want to get kids out of the system,” Michener said. “Instead of them surviving, we want them to thrive and fly.”

Invisible No More will premiere at the AHHAH Restorative Justice Open House on July 24 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at the Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center, 226 N. High Street in West Chester. To learn more about AHHAH, visit www.AHHAH.org.

To contact Contributing Writer Gabbie Burton, email [email protected].