April | 2019 | Straight Up Films

Julie Bowen, Rosario Dawson, Nikki Reed and More Go Behind the Camera to Inspire Young Women

SourcePeople - April 27, 2019

AuthorReagan Alexander

Rosario Dawson, Julie Bowen, Nikki Reed, Lisa Edelstein and Ana Brenda Contreras debut short films aimed at empowering young girls.

The Power On Anthology showcased some “new” talent Wednesday evening with some well-known names making their directorial debut.

The series, created by Straight Up Films’ co-CEO Marisa Polvino (who also serves as a producer), is dedicated to inspiring young girls to pursue STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math) featured five short films directed by Julie Bowen, Rosario Dawson, Nikki Reed, Ana Brenda Contreras and Lisa Edelstein.

Each film told a story, one that embraced each of the aspects of STEAM, that the directors found near and dear to their hearts, with all but Edelstein getting behind the camera for the first time. (more…)

Rosario Dawson, Julie Bowen, Nikki Reed, Lisa Edelstein and Ana Brenda Contreras debut short films aimed at empowering young girls.

The Power On Anthology showcased some “new” talent Wednesday evening with some well-known names making their directorial debut.

Each film told a story, one that embraced each of the aspects of STEAM, that the directors found near and dear to their hearts, with all but Edelstein getting behind the camera for the first time.

“I got asked to be in Nikki’s short, and I walk in and say, ‘Is this a thing?’” Dawson, 39, whose film was titled Boundless, recalls with a laugh. “So I was like, ‘Why didn’t you ask me [to direct]?’ And they said, ‘You want to do one, go on ahead.’ And I was like, ‘Oh no! Now I gotta do one!’”

Bowen, who has since gone on to direct an episode of Modern Family, was doing what she refers to as an “internship” with Ryan Murphy’s Half Foundation when she was offered the opportunity to helm her own short film, Girl Code.

“I was one of the later ones to the party,” the actress, 49, tells PEOPLE. “So that I knew that they had some more serious content, but I knew that my wheelhouse was definitely going to be lighter content.”

“I have a 14-year-old niece,” she adds, “And I thought, ‘I want to do something that will appeal to her. What would she watch, start to finish, and not click away from after 22 seconds, that didn’t feel preachy and was fun?’”

Nikki Reed, 30, the self-described “guinea pig” of the series, was the first to sign on to the project, and dove right in, bringing along Gina Rodriguez, and eventual fellow director Dawson.

“I seem to gravitate towards the inspirational, towards material that feels real,” says Reed. “To me, I wanted to tackle a subject that feels aspirational, and inspirational, with something that is very grounding and very real.”

And while Edelstein and Contreras’ pieces dealt with the heavier issues of personal loss and grief (Contreras’ film Wingbeat was dedicated to her father who had recently died), the mood of the evening was consistently buoyed by the passion of its participants and an audience packed with young female students who epitomize what Power On strives to be.

The producer of the series, Ngoc Nguyen summed up the night, which ended with a Q&A that had the directors peppered with poignant questions from the young and rabidly curious audience, by saying: “Storytelling is one of the most powerful tools in shifting culture. When young kids see someone who looks like them on screen, presented in a positive manner, it evokes pride and confidence in immeasurable ways. We wanted the films to be truly representative of the world we live in, which is a world rich with diversity.”

Shorts Encourage Women to STEAM Careers

SourceVariety - April 26, 2019

AuthorDaniel Nissen

Straight Up Films created the anthology “Power/On” of five shorts focused on encouraging girls in STEAM (science, technology, engineering and math with the arts thrown in) directed by actresses Rosario Dawson, Julie Bowen, Ana Brenda Contreras, Lisa Edelstein, and Nikki Reed. With support from YouTube, the shorts premiered Wednesday at the Google campus in Playa Vista and will be available for streaming on YouTube on April 26.

Each film centers on women and girls working on and interacting with a different technological advancement.

Rosario Dawson told Variety at the anthology’s world premiere, “The point of this series is to show all the different ways people can show up for their family, their friends, their community by pushing themselves when they see a problem. Maybe a solution doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be created.” She hopes that her work behind the camera will allow girls to see her as a role model, including her own daughter. (more…)

Each film centers on women and girls working on and interacting with a different technological advancement.

“Modern Family” actress Julie Bowen talked to Variety about her experience at an all-girls school. “The messaging at the time was, ‘you’re going to an all-girls school because when girls raise their hands in math and science class they call on the boys.’ We needs to just get rid of that message.” Bowen spent time shadowing directors on set of “American Horror Story” as a participant of Ryan Murphy’s Half Initiative, a program designed to increase women and minority directors. She said the initiative gave her “positive encouragement” and helped her take on directing her short “Girl Code.”

Jenna Ortega, who appears in Bowen’s short film, said, “I want people to get inspired by seeing themselves, of all different colors and backgrounds, on screen.” Ortega, 16, is outspoken on social issues and said her interest in politics began at 6 years old. She will star in the upcoming second season of “You.”

“The point of this whole event is to inspire young girls to follow their dreams and encourage them to use their imagination and let them know that that is their superpower,” said actress Lisa Edelstein, who directed the short “Lulu.” “We need more women stepping up and giving a hand to other women. Not to push men out the door, but there are a lot of stories to tell and they don’t all come from a male perspective.”

Ana Brenda Contreras directed the shot film “Wingbeat.” “Directing is something I wanted to do for a long time. It sends the message that you can do whatever you want to do in life,” she said. “Careers don’t have a gender.”

“We need to shatter the misconception in young girls that they are not as inherently good at math or engineering. These are learned skills,” said “Andy’s Song” director Reed. Reed recently started an environmentally conscious fashion company.

Straight Up Films, a female founded and run production company, produced the series in association with Cinema Giants. Straight Up Films co-CEO Marisa Polvino said, “When we came up with the idea for the series, it was important to us to champion women who had never had the opportunity to direct before and we also wanted to reach the widest possible audience of young girls who are our emerging leaders. YouTube was the perfect fit for our stories and we are grateful, not only for their support, but for their leadership’s shared vision.”