Children's Hospital Patients Make Movies Between Treatments

Two weeks before the celebrity-laden frenzy of the Academy Awards, a group of less well-known but no less hardworking filmmakers gathered at San Francisco’s de Young Museum to screen their first movies. The auteurs were current and former patients of UCSF Children’s Hospital who participated in the MovieMakers program run by the nonprofit group BayKids. Representatives from BayKids come to UCSF every Friday, working with pediatric patients to create short digital video productions during their hospital stay. Over the course of a single day or several weeks, the 13 featured patients — averaging age 10 — wrote scripts and directed camera shots in between treatment for cancer, diabetes and other ailments, with assistance from BayKids volunteers and staff from the school program within the hospital’s Child Life Department. “We look out for kids who might be interested in the program and give referrals to [BayKids],” said Christy DuBois, a child life teacher at the hospital for the past five years. “It’s funny, because some of the kids get really overwhelmed when you ask them, ‘Do you want to make a movie?’ But once they get past that, most of them really enjoy it, and their families are really pleased with the end product.” The public screening on Feb. 8 showcased nine films and was the first such event for the UCSF-based program, DuBois said, adding that she hoped it would become a regular thing. Some of the first-time filmmakers opted for documentary-style pieces, such as Jamisi’s Movie About Diabetes by Jamisi Calloway. Over the course of the four-minute film, Jamisi interviewed his UCSF doctors and nurses about type 1 diabetes, and talked a bit about his own experience with the disease. Despite his ease and obvious enthusiasm on camera, however, Jamisi said when it comes to a future career, moviemaking isn’t his top choice. “Plan A is basketball star,” he said. “Plan B is businessman, where you wear a suit.” Another patient, Afnan Sajini, used puppets and other handmade props to chronicle her move from Orlando, Florida, to San Francisco to undergo kidney transplant surgery at UCSF. A few weeks after completing her movie, she received her transplant. Other MovieMakers participants threw realism out the window and let their imaginations run wild. Devin Noonan and Nate Jensen followed a paper airplane on an action-packed adventure through the hospital, while Anthony Plazola and Edwin Zamora took a cue from National Geographic and embarked on a journey through the animal kingdom. Each film was shaped by many hands behind the scenes – a process that produced “a real sense of camaraderie and teamwork” at the hospital, said Sadie Wilcox, the BayKids program manager and frequent camerawoman. “I’ve seen amazing friendships develop between some of the kids,” DuBois added. “Being creative, interacting with other kids — that’s what kids are supposed to be doing.” MovieMakers is clearly a hit with UCSF hospital staff, but more important, it seems to have won over a tough group of critics: the kids themselves. “The best part about the project was you could basically do anything,” said Eliana Fuchs, a prolific young director who made three films with BayKids, including a how-to on moviemaking. “It’s really fun to make a movie. The funnest part is the characters, because you can make them as silly and as weird as you want.” Her advice to other aspiring filmmakers? “Don’t feel limited,” she said. “Just let your imagination go.” BayKids began in 1994 as a community outreach program for the San Francisco Giants. The organization became independent in 1997 and now operates entirely on donations. It offers MovieMakers on-site at UCSF Children’s Hospital, Children’s Hospital Oakland and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. Photos by Greg Land, BayKids volunteer

Related Links:

UCSF Children’s Hospital Child Life Services

BayKids