Whitman in Louisville: Gray, Jake, and Jaylen's "Song of Myself."

Last week, I introduced y'all to the Whitman Film Festival that my students create each year. For full details on the assignment, click on the link and read up on the project. With the students' permission, I'm posting a series of these films on the blog. It's not just that I'm a proud Mama (but I am); some of these films pay tribute to our city in truly remarkable ways.

First up was Samantha's "I Sing The Body Electric" shot in Cherokee Park.  Girl power, indeed.  But just as Sam's film captured a beautiful aspect of young womanhood, this next film is a gorgeous portrait of young men.

Next up: Gray, Jake, and Jaylen's "Song of Myself"
When I first watched this film alongside my students, I had to stifle a gasp or two. The cinematography is just that stunning. The editing. The settings. The emotions invoked. The use of the music.

But as an English teacher, perhaps what I admire most about this film is how expertly and thoughtfully (I'm running out of gushing adjectives here, folks) these guys edited Whitman's 52-part epic poem to create a compact synopsis of Whitman's intentions for "Song of Myself."

Here's their film:

Enjoy. Share these. And it really is true: the kids are all right.