PAST FILM FESTIVALS
2025 BOOST Conference Film Festival
In partnership with Good Docs
#KIDSONTECH
Moderator: Ryan McCarthy, Executive Director, Global Kindness Initiative, San Francisco, CA
PURPLE DREAMS
Moderator: Sonia Toledo, Ph.D., Founder & CEO, Dignity of Children, Inc., New York, NY
THE TRUTH ABOUT READING
Moderator: Lynne Fox, M.A., Global Educational Developer and Consultant, FranklinCovey Education, Harrisburg, PA
Inventing Tomorrow
Moderator: Jamecca Marshall, MA, Deputy Executive Director, Los Angeles STEM Collaborative, Los Angeles, CA
REBOUND
Moderator: Lindsay Brewster, MS.Ed., MSW, Social Worker & Teacher, B.A.S.E. Enrichment Workshop for Children, Morrisville, PA
ZERO GRAVITY
Moderator: Mara Wold, Program Coordinator II, Region 5, Expanded Learning, Monterey County Office of Education, Salinas, CA
2024 BOOST Conference Film Festival
In partnership with Good Docs
Another Word for Learning
Moderator: Caroline Ferrante, M.Ed., Arts Integration Coach, Arts for Learning Maryland, Baltimore, MD
Always in Season
Moderator: Sheryl Davis, Ed.D., Executive Director, San Francisco Human Rights Commission, San Francisco, CA
Clarissa’s Battle
Moderator: Sonia Toledo, Ph.D., Founder & CEO, Dignity of Children, New York, NY
All That I Am
Moderator: Jenna Mendez, M.A., PPS, LPCC, District Foster Youth Counselor/Liaison, Corona-Norco Unified School District, Corona, CA
Hungry to Learn
Moderator: Kelsey Boone, Senior Child Nutrition Policy Analyst, Food Research & Action Center (FRAC), Washington, DC
Beyond Men and Masculinity
Moderator: Nathan Houston, Founder/CEO, #iAmImpact, Sacramento, CA
2023 BOOST Conference Film Festival
In partnership with Good Docs
17 AND LIFE DOESN'T WAIT
Moderator: Nichi Avina, 2022 California Teacher of the Year, Community Resiliency Model Teacher, Cielo Vista Charter School, Palm Springs, CA
YOUTH V GOV
Moderator: Ryan McCarthy, Executive Director, Global Kindness Initiative, San Francisco, CA
The S Word
Moderator: Cassandra Arechiga, Learning Associate, Woodcraft Rangers, Los Angeles, CA
Raise Your Voice
Moderator: Blair Freedman, Senior Director, West Region, Sandy Hook Promise, Newton, CT
SPEAKING IN TONGUES
Moderator: Ana Danielson, Program Coordinator, Mono County Office of Education, Port Hueneme, CA
Possible Selves
Moderator: Dr. Michelle Lustig, Program Director, Foster Youth Technical Assistance Program, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Oceanside, CA
2022 BOOST Conference Film Festival
In partnership with Good Docs
The Unafraid
Moderator: Veronica Calvo, Senior Manager of Partnerships for Inspire @National University, Harmony SEL @ National University, Chicago, IL
Us Kids
Moderator: Theresa Hardy, Executive Director, BRAVE, Seattle, WA
The Bad Kids
Moderator: Jenna Mendez, TK-12 District Foster Youth Counselor, Corona-Norco Unified School District, Norco, CA
The Pushouts
Moderator: Sean Magaña, Manager of Older Youth Programs, THINK Together, Whittier, CA
Personal Statement
Moderator: Dr. Sonia Toledo, Founder & CEO, Dignity of Children, Bronx, NY
River City Drumbeat
Moderator: Nathan Houston, Founder, #iAmImpact, Sacramento, CA
2021 BOOST Conference Film Festival
LIKE
Moderator: Michael Jacobus, Executive Director, Reset Summer Camp, Inc., Orange, CA
Angst
Moderator: Bryn Drescher, Facilitator, EduCare, Van Nuys, CA
The Upstanders
Moderator: Jessica Mitchell, Ph.D., Director of Data & Research, AMIkids, Inc., Tampa, FL
2019 BOOST Conference Film Festival
The School in the Cloud
Moderator: Richard Reyes, Executive Director, PLUS ME Project, Los Angeles, CA
Like Any Other Kid
Moderator: Deborah La Touche, Deputy District Attorney, Office of the District Attorney, San Diego County, Juvenile Branch, San Diego, CA
Holden On
Moderator: Lilia Mitre, Director of Parent Partnerships, Equitas Academy Charter Schools, Los Angeles, CA
NORMAL ISN'T REAL: Succeeding with Learning Disabilities & ADHD
Moderator: Krys Kornmeier, Director/Producer, 4-D Productions, Inc., Washington, DC
The Election Effect
Moderator: Jodi Grant, Executive Director; Alexis Steines, Director of Field Outreach, Afterschool Alliance, Washington, D.C.
The Growing Season
Moderator: ElizaBeth Parker Phillips, Vice President of Education, Child Development Centers, Sacramento, CA
2018 BOOST Conference Film Festival
American DREAMers
Moderator: Lorena Sanchez, Program Operations Director, EduCare Foundation, Van Nuys, CA
Listen
Moderators: Cindy McCann, Executive Director, Every Monday Matters, Inc., Burbank, CA; Erahm Christopher, Founder, Good Instinct, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I Am Jane Doe
Moderator: Gabriela Delgado, Program Specialist, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego, CA
Untouchable: Children of God
Moderator: Camrin Christensen, Director of Volunteer Recruitment and Outreach, CASA of Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
If You Build It
Moderator: Matt D'Arrigo, Founder, A Reason to Survive (ARTS), National City, CA and Director, Clare Rose Foundation, San Diego, CA
What the Health
Moderator: Daniel W. Hatcher, MPH, Director, Community Partnerships, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Washington, D.C.
2017 BOOST Conference Film Festival
Most Likely to Succeed
Moderator: Mike Strong, Humanities Teacher, High Tech High, San Diego, CA
Landfill Harmonic
Moderator: Alvaro Rodriguez, Director of After School Operations, YMCA of Greater Long Beach, Long Beach, CA
Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital Age
Moderator: Lisa Tabb, Co-Producer & Co-Executive Producer, Screenagers: Growing Up in the Digital World, San Francisco, CA
Play The Documentary
Moderators: Matty Steinkamp, Director of Play The Documentary from Phoenix, AZ; Tracy Perkins, Producer of Play The Documentary from Phoenix, AZ
Resilience
Moderator: Erin Browder, School Climate Specialist and Teaching and Learning Consultant, Erin Browder, LLC, Redondo Beach, CA
The Student Body
Moderator: Daniel W. Hatcher, Director of Community Partnerships, Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Washington DC
2016 BOOST Conference Film Festival
Crescendo! The Power of Music
Moderated by: Myka Miller, Executive Director, Harmony Project, Los Angeles, CA
Paper Tigers
Moderated by: Jeremy Gradwohl, 21st Century Community Learning Center Director, Lincoln High School, Walla Walla, WA; Aron Wulf, Former Student, Lincoln High School, Walla Walla, WA
A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story
Unslut
Moderated by: Kelly Fair, Executive Director, Polished Pebbles, Chicago, IL
Billions in Change
Moderated by: Tiveeda Stovall, Program Coordinator- Community Service and Service-Learning, University of California San Diego (UCSD), La Jolla, CA
The Mask You Live In
Moderated by: Gabriela Delgado, Project Specialist II, San Diego County Office of Education, Student Support Services, San Diego, CA
2015 BOOST Conference Film Festival
I Learn America
Moderated by: Jean-Michel Dissard, Director/Producer; Leah Hamilton, Educator, I Learn America, Brooklyn, NY
1 Way Up
Moderated by: Ray Holmes, Former Pro BMX Rider, USA BMX Race Official, Palm Desert, CA; Jerry Mobley, Master BMX Mechanic, Palm Springs BMX Track Volunteer, Palm Springs, CA
Beginning with the End
Moderated by: Carlos Santini, Associate Director, After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles, CA
Dislecksia
Moderated by: ElizaBeth Phillips, Program Development Director, Child Development Inc., Sacramento, CA
SlingShot
Moderated by: Paul Lazarus, Director/Producer, SlingShot, Los Angeles, CA; Chloe Simmons, Outreach Coordinator, SlingShot, Glendale, CA
Ivory Tower
Moderated by: Sidd Vivek, Department Head of Development & Communications, YMCA of San Diego County, San Diego, CA
2014 BOOST Conference Film Festival
Short Term 12
Moderated by: Carolyn Levenberg, Assistant Supervisor, Minor's Counsel Office, Dependency Legal Group of San Diego, San Diego, CA
World Peace Games and Other Fourth Grade Achievements
Moderated by: John Hunter, Founder "World Peace Games," Teacher and Educational Consultant, Charlottesville, VA
Blood Brother
Moderated by: Carlos Santini, Associate Director, After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles, CA
Submit the Documentary
Moderated by: Les Ottolenghi, Director/Producer, Submit the Documentary, Las Vegas, NV
Who Cares About Kelsey?
Moderated by: Nancy Fuller, Community Programs Specialist, NAMI San Diego, San Diego, CA
American Promise
Moderated By: Kamau Stanford, Program Coordinator, It Takes Philly, Inc., Philadelphia, PA
2013 BOOST Conference Film Festival
Brooklyn Castle
Moderator: Robert McLellan, Executive Producer, Brooklyn Castle, Marketing Director, US Chess Federation, Knoxville, TN; Katie Dellamaggiore, Director/Producer, Brooklyn Castle, Brooklyn, NY
Somewhere Between
Moderator: CynDee Zandes, Ed.D., Chief Program Officer, THINK Together, Santa Ana, CA
G-Dog
Moderator: Father Greg Boyle, Founder, and Executive Director, Homeboy Industries, Los Angeles, CA
Sexy Baby
Moderator: Gabriela Baeza, Project Specialist II, San Diego County Office of Education, Student Support Services Department, San Diego, CA
Race to Nowhere
Moderator: Michelle R. Perrenoud, Project Coordinator, Los Angeles County Office of Education, Downey, CA
The Revisionaries
Moderator: Carlos Santini, Associate Director, Afterschool All-Stars, Los Angeles, CA; Alejandra Santini, Executive Director, Hill & Dale Family Learning Center, Santa Monica, CA
2012 BOOST Conference Film Festival
Miss Representation
Moderator: Stephanie Armstrong, Founder, Heart of Leadership, San Diego, CA
Inocente
Moderator: Matt D’Arrigo, CEO, A Reason to Survive (ARTS), San Diego, CA
Mother Nature's Child
Moderator: Janice Swaisgood, National Coordinator, Family Nature Clubs, Children & Nature Network, San Diego, CA
KONY 2012: Invisible Children
Moderators: Hiram Villareal & Elissa O'Dell, Los Angeles Street Team, Invisible Children, Los Angeles, CA
Indoctrinated: The Grooming of Our Children Into Prostitution
Moderator: Gabriela Baeza, Project Specialist II, San Diego County Office of Education, San Diego, CA
Pariah: A Focus Features Film
Moderators: Christina Forzani, Psy.D, Triage & Transition Coordinator, Project Enable Clinic, San Diego, CA; Monique Oglesby, MA, Assistant Director, Heartland Clinic, El Cajon, CA
Please note: Name badges are required to attend all BOOST Conference events, including all meals and all workshops.
