The documentary short about the power of girl education in Kenya to help break the cycle of poverty, Graceland Girls, has been accepted as an Official Selection into the SouthSide Film Festival in Bethlehem, PA. The SouthSide Film Festival is an annual five-day event featuring international films, guest filmmakers, juried selections, locally produced films, seminars, and networking opportunities for filmmakers and fans of independent film. Graceland Girls is scheduled to screen on the following dates/times: Screening 1:  Victory Firehouse: 7:20pm Wednesday, [...]

Graceland Girls is included as part of the Short Film Corner at the Court Metrage.  Organized by the Festival de Cannes, the Short Film Corner is the essential rendez-vous for filmmakers. Cannes Court Métrage reflects the Festival de Cannes’ desire to develop initiatives, encouraging emerging talents as well as the particular format of short films.

CFAN IN ACTION Graceland Girls Explores the Power of Girl Education  By Jordan Salvatoriello, Producer, Director and Cinematographer Award Recipient of The Caucus Foundation Grant Program A little over a year ago, a dear friend told me about the girls at the Graceland School in Central Kenya. At this unique private boarding school for underprivileged teen girls, students are not only given the rare chance to receive a high school education, but the hope of joining the ranks of the [...]

Exciting news! The Women Deliver 2013 Global Conference, the largest global meeting of the decade to focus on the health and well-being of girls and women, will be screening Graceland Girls at their “Cinema Corner,” May 28 – 30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The film screenings will put a “face” to Women Deliver’s mission of reducing maternal mortality and improving access to reproductive health. The Cinema Corner will engage filmmakers, media outlets, and audiences in film-related advocacy opportunities, and relay [...]

I had dinner tonight with Dr. Tom Kariuiki, a member of the board for the Graceland Girls School in Kenya, upon which the film is based, and a dear man.  He gave us updates on the girls, as best he could, and I told him about the recent successes of the film.  He was very pleased to hear it, and smiled broadly from ear to ear. I spoke with our hosts, Robert Grant and Kate Bowditch who both lived in [...]

Graceland Girls, a documentary short by Jordan Salvatoriello, is an official selection at the 2013 Boston International Film Festival, April 12 – 21. Screening in a block, April 20, 11 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. Location: AMC/LOEWS Boston Common: 175 Tremont St. Boston, MA  Machine Head (12 min) Graceland Girls (28 min) Calling 50 (min) The Boston International Film Festival is a celebration of the art of film making. It encourages and supports independent filmmakers from around the world, bringing to Boston [...]

Graceland Girls is an Official Selection at the Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival taking place March 21 – 24, 2013. Graceland Girls will be screening Sunday, March 24 as part of the Documentary Shorts film block starting at 10 a.m. at the Laemmle Music Hall in Beverly Hills! The Los Angeles Women’s International Film Festival is produced by Alliance of Women Filmmakers (AWF). AWF is a non-profit 501c(3) organization established by Diana Means to empower women filmmakers to create diverse roles for women. The festival, now [...]

ArtsEmerson has selected Graceland Girls to be part of its “Women at the Helm” program during Women’s History Month.  Graceland Girls is screening at 1 p.m. on Saturday, March 23.  I will be introducing the film and then hosting a brief Q&A afterward. The film Middle of Nowhere by Ava Duvernay, winner of the Director Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, screens just following, so take advantage of this double feature.  Come by! ARTSEMERSON: THE WORLD ON STAGE PRESENTS GRACELAND [...]

We had an excellent screening of Graceland Girls at Emerson’s L.A. Showcase on Thursday night at the Harmony Gold Theater. I had a chance to talk about the ripple effect of educating girls to break the cycle of poverty and the amazing strength and inner beauty the girls at the Graceland School possess. I am proud to say that Graceland Girls received EXTRA TV’s Maria Menounos’ “Take Action Hollywood” Award for social issue filmmaking. Very exciting!

Graceland Girls is the first film of the Peace on Earth Film Festival, screening at 6:20 p.m. on Thursday, March 7 at the historic Chicago Cultural Center’s Claudia Cassidy Theater, 78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL 60602. Admission is free and it is open to the public! Click here for more details on the film screening.  Or for more information on the festival, visit Peace On Earth Film Festival at www.peaceonearthfilmfestival.org. For the festival press release, click here.