Safe at Home is the story of Brad Wallin, a spirited young boy who tragically lost his battle with cancer far too young. Despite such an unthinkable tragedy, Brad's family has been able to keep their son's legacy alive with the love and support of the small town of Chillicothe, Illinois through an annual little league baseball tournament that has raised nearly $1 million to support the fight against childhood cancer. This is a short documentary about baseball, the loving memory of a young boy, and a community that comes together to embrace a great cause in an extraordinary way. About the Filmmakers:Ben Fout - Ben has become a master of his craft, filmmaking, from concept to creation. By respecting both the process and outcome equally, he has refined a system that is not only a great experience but also produces content of the desired quality, creativity, and function. He is a director by day and cinematographer by night. You may also find him on an occasional editing bender. He may be somewhat daylight deprived and technologically overloaded, but overall, he is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done the right way the first time. Ricky Staffieri - Born on the east coast, but raised in Las Vegas, Nevada Ricky has been staying busy working 360 degrees around the camera as an actor, writer, and director. In 2013 he completed his BFA in acting from Columbia College Chicago and went on to work on shows like Better Call Saul (AMC) and Chicago PD (NBC). In 2015 he packed up and hit the road to L.A. and has since been working freelance production on various movies, reality television, and network TV. Most of his personal work in the past few years has been focused on the narrative, including his short film El Bully (2016), and his mockumentary Dumbbells (2019). He also dove into the world of music, directing and producing music videos for artists such as Julian Bell, Phoelixx, and Bensie. More recently, Ricky has teamed up with mash-up savant Michael Korte to work with Disney Broadway on videos for Broadway’s hit show Aladdin. Tyler Holme - Tyler is a comedy writer and award-winning filmmaker currently based in Denver, Colorado. Tyler previously spent time in Chicago where he graduated from Columbia College Chicago with a BA in film and video production. He also studied various forms of comedy writing at both The Second City and iO Chicago. His short films have screened in festivals across the globe and his comedy writing has been published on websites across the internet.

Safe at Home

A short documentary film exploring the wildlife and parks of Colorado. About the Filmmaker:From a background in screenwriting and film history, Aaron Kuper began filming the wildlife in his backyard with a Blackmagic Pocket 4K camera. This resulted in two "Backyard Zoo" films with stories for audiences of all ages. After moving to Colorado in the summer of 2020, he wanted to create a short documentary highlighting the abundant wildlife and natural beauty of Colorado. "Hummingbird Trails" is a personal journey reflecting the wonder and surprises behind his discoveries. With his trusty Arabian horse Poker, Kuper now leads horseback rides for The Broadmoor Hotel through majestic Pike National Forest.

Hummingbird Trails

Colorado has some of the most beautiful scenery in the world and has a rich population of people who love spending time in the backcountry. Getting away from civilization is alluring to many but what happens if you get lost or injured while exploring the vastness of the Colorado outdoors? This is where the Alpine Rescue Team comes into play. The Alpine Rescue Team is a volunteer based non-profit whose mission is to help people who have become lost or injured while exploring the Colorado backcountry. This short documentary showcases what it's like to be part of this amazing group of people and illustrates how valuable they are to anyone who has found themselves in a less than ideal situation while enjoying the beauty of what Colorado has to offer. Director’s Statement: Brian ChamblissMy father died unexpectedly in a mountaineering accident on Torrey’s Peak in July of 2019 and the Alpine Rescue Team put on the search and rescue effort to find him. I had never heard of the Alpine Rescue Team before my late father’s death but have since learned they are an incredible volunteer-based, non-profit whose mission is to help people who are lost or injured while exploring Colorado’s backcountry. The most amazing part of their mission is that they don’t charge for their rescue efforts. In the case of my late father’s rescue, they had a team of 20-30 people and two helicopters searching for three days straight. During those three days I had two things on my mind. One, is my father still alive and two, how much is all of this going to cost? Four days after he went missing, the local Sheriff approached my family and I and told us they had found our father but that he was no longer alive. While he was talking to us, I asked him how much this rescue effort was going to cost. To my surprise he said it would not cost us anything. Neither the Sheriff nor the Alpine Rescue Team would send us a bill. The most amazing part of this revelation was that my family and I could grieve and deal with the emotional impact of losing such an amazing person without being saddled with the burden of coming up with hundreds of thousands of dollars to pay for the rescue effort. In that moment I promised myself that I was going to make a short film about the Alpine Rescue Team and a year and a half later I have fulfilled that promise. Over the last five months I’ve been working with them to create the following film and I am very proud of what we’ve created. They are such an incredible group of volunteers who spend their time and resources rescuing complete strangers and I want the world to know how truly special they are.

The Art of Rescue

When Ray Sitorius started growing hemp with the Stanley Brothers, no one knew what they hell to do, but they were determined to make it work. There were 15,000 people on a waiting list for the Stanley’s CBD, and the only way to deliver was to grow outside. The stakes could not have been higher. One problem: Ray did not know anything about hemp, and the Stanley’s didn’t know anything about large scale farming. They started out on their hands and knees, with shovels in a field, and Ray quickly introduced them to tractors and mechanization and modern technology. Over the last six years, Ray has gotten one heck of an education, always innovating, and striving to be better. But as Ray says, no matter how much you think you’re in control and you do it right, Mother Nature is gonna tell you what you’re gonna get, when you’re gonna get it and how much. Through all the struggles and unknowns, Ray knows he has found his calling. As a young boy he knew he wanted to be a farmer, but he never could have imagined it would be hemp and helping people in such profound ways. About the Filmmaker:Jeremy Seifert is an award-winning film director, cinematographer, and editor whose documentaries have premiered at Sundance, Berlinale, Hot Docs, Tribeca, and AFI DOCS. He co-directed The Devil We Know, a 2018 Sundance documentary in competition and Netflix premiere. His short documentary The Church Forests of Ethiopia was selected as a New York Times Op-Doc. His films GMO OMG and DIVE! Living Off America’s Waste won over 30 awards at festivals around the world and both had online premiers on Netflix. Jeremy is also the creator and director of Truefolk, a series featuring master makers and artisans. He has directed and DP’d over 20 films for nonprofits around the world.

Growing to Heal

AFTER WAR is a searing account of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in one young man’s family. What are the costs of traumatic brain injury and PTSD, not only on those who serve, but also their spouses and kids? Filmmaker Bailey Francisco on why he made AFTER WAR: “This is a problem that affects more people than you can imagine. Growing up in a military town I’ve seen the effects war has on families, and I wanted to bring this issue to light, to show that everyone is affected by war”. AFTER WAR premiered at the Rocky Mt. Women’s Film Festival and then at the Boulder International Film Festival where Bailey presented his film along side Academy-Award winning filmmaker Lucy Walker. It also has screened at Colorado College, the Fine Arts Center, and Inside/Out in Colorado Springs. Bailey is the 2014 recipient of the Pikes Peak Art Council’s ‘Rising Star’ Award. AFTER WAR is also the 2015 recipient of The All American High-school Film Festivals “Best Documentary” award. About the Filmmaker:Bailey Francisco, 22, grew up on an Army base in Fountain, Colorado. He graduated from Fountain-Ft. Carson High School, and completed YDA in 2014, its inaugural year.. Bailey took classes at CSU, Fort Collins and currently lives in Colorado Springs where he still promotes Youth Documentary Academy actively and is pursuing his passion of Stand-Up Comedy. His film AFTER WAR will broadcast on OUR TIME, a YDA-produced series on Rocky Mt. PBS in the fall of 2021.

After War (a YDA film)

In TWICE EXCEPTIONAL, 14-year-old filmmaker Samuel Faux introduces his audience to apraxia of speech which has affected him since he began speaking. Faux investigates his condition on camera with doctors, former teachers, and his own family (including his brother, who is also affected.) While giving voice to this untold story, Samual finds the resilience necessary to eschew the label of the “kid with a disability” and defines himself on his own terms. About the Filmmaker:Samuel Faux joined the Youth Documentary Academy as one of its youngest students, having only recently finished 9th grade at Woodland Park Middle School. His film TWICE EXCEPTIONAL was selected to broadcast in the premiere season of OUR TIME on Rocky Mt. PBS. Samuel has shared his film widely across the state and has been honored by the ARC Colorado. He will graduate high school this spring and his interests in science and engineering are already paying off: he has been accepted to Penn State, Drake, Kansas State and CU Boulder.

Twice Exceptional (a YDA film)

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