A Senior Project That Could Save Lives

For her high-school senior project, 17-year-old Eimanne El Zein decided she wanted to help homeless kids. The result is From Homeless to Hopeful, a film festival benefiting Seattle-basedTeen Feed, an organization offering support to those in need.

The festival is Saturday from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. atCentral Cinema, 1411 21st Ave., Seattle. Admission is $15.

“Teen Feed is an awesome organization in the University District that works with the community to offer support to meet basic needs, build strong relationships, and work with homeless kids as they work to a future off the streets,” said El Zein, who lives in Edmonds and attends Shorecrest High School in Shoreline.

The festival includes a number of short films, all shot by teenagers. A few are from theFutureWave Committee, a youth project sponsored by the Seattle International Film Festival. El Zein also selected a few from Reel Grrls, a Seattle-based organization offering workshops for girls interested in media production. El Zein is a graduate.

The festival concludes with a six-minute film El Zein shot herself. She conducted interviews with Teen Feed’s executive directors, board members, and others. Because the homeless couldn’t be filmed, she also filmed a scripted scene with friends.

After the festival, El Zein’s short film will be available on YouTube and Teen Feed’s website.

“I saw there was a need to help homeless kids in the Seattle area,” aid El Zein. “I saw a public-service announcement at a film festival in Oregon. It followed a kid around as he went to school. But then it was time to go home, but he didn’t have a home to go to. It struck a chord with me. School’s really hard as it is. If you don’t have a home to do your homework in, it’s even more difficult.”

As you might expect, El Zein, who has been accepted to the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, says her dream is to be a movie producer.

“I’d like to do documentaries and even Hollywood-type movies, but I don’t want to go to Hollywood," El Zein said.

She has another goal, which also shouldn’t be a surprise. “I want to start my own social business, like a school for homeless  kids, so they could really have resources to pursue an education. Without an education, you can’t really better yourself.”

All proceeds from the film festival will benefit Teen Feed. Through Reel Grrls, El Zein was able to secure the 125-seat Central Cinema without cost. Other funds came from her father, who runs an auto dealership in Lynnwood. For tickets, go to brownpapertickets.com.