Jeshua Guerrero-Lopez (Left, with camera) works on a film scene in the Truman TV studio. Brianna Wright assists (holding the light on the right).
BRONX, NY – For young filmmakers across the country and right here in New York City, it is a dream come true: the opportunity to pursue their passion for filmmaking in a post-high school intensive program. That’s exactly what TWO Truman High School 2023 graduates will be doing starting this summer – as members of the world-renowned Ghetto Film School Fellowship Program. Jeshua Guerrero-Lopez and Brianna Wright learned about the program during a recent workshop hosted by the Walt Disney Company. They applied, were interviewed, and received their acceptance letters on June 15th.
Jeshua Guerrero-Lopez
“Wow. The next chapter has come,” Guerrero-Lopez said was the first thing to cross his mind when he opened the acceptance email. “The pages of the book are finally starting to be written,” he added.
“I was sitting down getting my hair done,” Wright said. “I looked at it (the acceptance email), and I had to look at it again.”
“Ecstatic isn’t even strong enough of a word,” media teacher Dave Roush said. “Jeshua contacted me first to tell me the good news, and he asked ‘did Brianna get in?’ Brianna didn’t even tell me she applied. So after I learned that she ALSO was accepted, I was speechless. So proud of these two.”
Ghetto Film School has locations in New York, Los Angeles and London. The tuition-free program offers a 30-month intensive hands-on filmmaking program. According to their website, Courses cover both the art and business of cinematic storytelling and production training while preparing and guiding Fellows to advance their education at top universities. The Program is free of charge for all students, and features instruction from leading filmmakers and industry experts, visits to live sets and studios, and international travel experiences.
Guerrero-Lopez (L) and Wright (R) appear in a fundraising video in 2022.
“I’m looking at all the ways to improve in the world of film and this is going to be an environment beyond the college experience that will help me excel in the classroom and work with like-minded people,” Wright added.
“The thing that I’m looking forward to the most is being around like-minded people,” Guerrero-Lopez said. ” They’ll help me improve at a rate I wasn’t improving at before.”
Fellows screen their films at prestigious venues, receive college application advising and test prep support, and internship placement at top media and creative companies.
The pair are first students ever in the media program’s 15-plus-year history to apply and be accepted to the Ghetto Film School program. They, along with Teresa Coffey-Carlton, were also recently inducted into the Student Television Network’s Honor Society.
Wright holds a real Oscar during a recent visit to the Warner Bros. Studios
“Their passion for film was cemented further after the pair attended the Penn State University’s Summer Camp for High School Filmmakers in 2022,” according to Mr. Roush. “When they came back to Truman for senior year… it was off to the races. They were on fire.”
While a part of the Ghetto Film School program, both students will also attend City College of New York where they are majoring in film.
Learn more about the Ghetto Film School Program in the video below.