New youth film festival brings star-studded lineup to the Magic City

Birmingham is set to welcome a first of its kind film festival June 28-29.

The Magic City 205 Youth Film Festival will showcase work from children grades 4-12 and bring in multiple celebrity guests.

Film Festival

Valton Johnson, local playwright and voice over actor, is putting on the event June 28-29 with support from Cinematic Creations and the Nadyne G. Johnson Foundation.

The film festival will screen a number of films written, directed and acted out by children 10-18 years old 10:00AM-2:00PM June 29 at the Carver Theatre.

An awards show from 5:00-7:00PM will recognize winners in a number of categories, including best overall film, best cinematography and best actors.

Food trucks will be available throughout the day, and there will be a Kid Zone with inflatables for younger attendees.

Students created the films at Johnson’s Dundrill Heights Spring Break Film Camp. Award winners can receive a free spot at next year’s camp as well as cash prizes. The top three overall films will receive $1,000, $500 and $250, respectively.

It does my heart good seeing my children take an active role in doing something other than sports. […] Hold a camera, hold a light, hold the sound. Those jobs pay $500 a day, it’s good money. So what does it mean to me to see these children participate? It means the world to me. Because we’re offering them something that they normally would not have gotten.”

Valton Johnson, Magic City 205 Youth Film Festival organizer

A private reception and silent auction will take place June 28 for the students, their families and festival sponsors. Items up for bid will include jewelry, signed sports memorabilia, electronics and more.

Celebrity Guests

Celebrity guests will attend both the private reception and film screenings.

• Carl Anthony Payne (The Cosby Show, Martin, Tyler Perry’s Young Dylan, …)
• Jen Harper (Greenleaf, In the Heat of the Night, Zatima, …)
• Tony Vaughn (Meet the Browns, Stranger Things, Women of the Movement, …)
• Javon Johnson (Tyler Perry’s The Oval, American Soul, …)
• LaParee W. Young (Greenleaf, Johnson, Daddy’s Little Girls, …)
• Alessandro Folchitto (stuntman best known for several Marvel Studio movies such as Avengers: Infinity War)

Dundrill Heights Spring Break Film Camp

Dundrill Heights Spring Break Film Camp is a yearly day camp held at Birmingham’s YMCA.

Over the course of a week, students receive classes covering multiple facets of and skills needed in the film industry. They usually include screenwriting, acting, voice overs, ballet, poetry, music, lighting, sound and camera work.

“We’re losing so many children to gun violence. My mantra is I’d rather children shoot a movie than a gun.”

Valton Johnson, camp director

This year, Folchitto attended the camp to teach students classes on stunt work in addition to the usual topics.

Students form groups at the beginning of camp, and each group comes up with an original screenplay by the end of the week. Professionals then come in to shoot the short film, with the students responsible for every job other than holding the cameras.

“Those things then compete Friday against one another in front of their parents, the mayor, the city council and people who show up. And we give awards at this ceremony for best cinematographer, best actor, all these things, and then we have a graduation ceremony for all these students. They walk the red carpet, get their certificate of completion, then we have lunch and then it’s over. It’s a fabulous week.”

Valton Johnson, camp director

Valton Johnson

Valton Johnson, a Birmingham native, is the Executive Director of The Nadyne G. Johnson Foundation and founder of Cinematic Creations Agency.

Both a voice actor and playwright, his movie series Welcome to Dundrill Heights is currently streaming on Tubi and Amazon Prime. Production just wrapped on episode 4, with two more episodes set to film in July.

Students at the film camp have gotten the opportunity to be on set for the series.

Planning to attend the Youth Film Festival? Shout out your favorite student production by tagging @bhamnow on socials.