'Tuck That Shirt In' -- A Rousing and Academically Aligned Music Video by The Producers’ Project and I.S. 109 -- Enjoys World Debut at 2006 Tribeca Film Festival

Imagine...Through the production and performance of a music video by inner-city youth: Test scores and attendance rates soar. Violence goes down. Self-esteem is built. It may seem like fantasy, but that is exactly what Queens Village Intermediate School 109 has done with their rousing music video, "Tuck That Shirt In," now premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival.

New York, NY (PRWEB) May 4, 2006 -- The 2006 Tribeca Film Festival announced today that “Tuck That Shirt In”, a rousing and academically aligned music video written, produced and performed by the students, parents and staff of I.S. 109 in Queens Village, NY in partnership with The Producers’ Project, is the only entry of its kind officially selected to debut at TFF’s Family Shorts Festival.

“Tuck That Shirt In” is far more than a music video. In every school across America, there is a fight for our children’s futures. It’s the battle between the powerful forces of street culture, consumerism and gang violence and the often un-hip, under-funded and undervalued institution of education. It is against this backdrop that Principal Shango Blake of I.S. 109 in Queens, New York used Rap, Hip-Hop and other innovative teaching methods to turn a school at risk into a model of success, as evidenced by improved attendance, decreased violence and increased math and reading scores. “Tuck That Shirt In” portrays this transformation and issues a call-to-action to schools and communities everywhere.

About “Tuck That Shirt In” and I.S. 109

Three years ago, I.S. 109 was a school at risk. It is now a success -- having risen from the next-to-last to one of the top middle schools in Queens, as evidenced by improved attendance, decreased violence, an 11.9% increase in reading scores and an 8.5% increase in math scores.

To facilitate, demonstrate and celebrate this success, Principal Shango Blake partnered with The Producers’ Project on “Tuck That Shirt In” – a rousing music video based on an original rap song. All told, more than 50 teachers, 250 students and 75 parents participated in the writing, production, performance, presentation and promotion of “Tuck That Shirt In,” which was selected to close out the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival Youth Summit and which has been extensively featured on radio and television and in print.

New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein, who appears in a cameo role in the music video, says of the program: “These students are learning the economics of production, the content of production…and the hard work of production. They’re taking contemporary culture and putting it to use for an old-fashioned purpose, which is to say, a great education.”

In production on “Tuck that Shirt In” with its partnership with I.S. 109, The Producers’ Project worked with producer Derek Phillips of Jorma Productions, director Diana Paragas of Civilian studios, producers and film teachers Alain Davis and Maia Marinelli, and a talented team of filmmakers and teachers.

TFF Screenings for “Tuck That Shirt In”

Tuck That Shirt In
2006, U.S.A., 5 min.
Director: Diane Paragas
Producers: Derek Phillips, Wendy Dubit
Executive Producer: Shango Blake

Event:
Tribeca Family Festival – The Best in Family Entertainment

Screening Dates/Locations:          
Wednesday,
April 26, 3:45 p.m. AMC 68th Street, 1998 Broadway at 68th Street, Theater 5
April 30, 11:15 am. AMC 34th Street, 312 W. 34th Street, Theater 13
May 6, 5:15 p.m. AMC 34th Street, 312 W. 34th Street, Theater 13
May 7, 10:00 a.m. AMC Village VII, 66 Third Avenue (at 11th St) Theater 1

Tickets:       
Individual tickets are $12 and can be purchased at
www.tribecafilmfestival.org, by calling 212.321.7400 or at the box office, 443 Greenwich Street. Ticket Code: (LIKEY)

Press Room
Visit our Full press room at www.theproducersproject.org/tff2006.php with downloads including photos, interviews and fun facts.

About The Producers’ Project

Since Summer 2002, The Producers’ Project (TPP) -- a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit education corporation -- has helped New York City students and teachers produce documentaries, music videos and other media as a way to build skills and knowledge, enhance teaching and learning, instill confidence, and enrich lives.

The results can be seen and heard in an exciting array of academically rigorous, artistically expressive and emotionally authentic digital videos -- all of which enjoy celebratory screenings, several of which are streamed at www.theproducersproject.org, and most of which air on TPP-TV’s television series on MNN’s Youth Channel.

The schools we work with -- which range from Island Academy on Rikers Island to City Hall Academy in NYCDOE headquarters -- consistently attest that the program adds relevancy and reach to academics, and has a profound impact on students: Absenteeism is down, interest and performance are enhanced.

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