Swampscott Student's Films Get Screening Saturday

A Swampscott High student will show two documentary films Saturday at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.

Junior Devyn Jaffe’s documentaries explore teens' thoughts about drug and alcohol use in Swampscott and consider female self-image problems.

Saturday’s film screening, from 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., is being presented by the Real to Reel Digital Film School at RAW Art Works in Lynn, according to an announcement by the Peabody Essex Museum.

The screening will showcase works by teens who study at the school. In addition, the students will field questions about their films, the announcement states.

Teens at the school study film making and create narratives and documentaries.

At Swampscott High, Devyn is a student in teacher Thomas Reid’s TV production and media literacy program.

She provided a summary of her two documentaries:

My first film is called Letter to a Girl. It addresses female self-image problems in today's society, and affirms that every girl should be happy with who she is. This film features a large group of girls who attend RAW Artworks.

My second film is a documentary, co-directed by Zach Benson, titled "Is This Really Happening?"

Swampscott has been illuminated by the media recently in a negative light. This short documentary asks students what they think of the drug and alcohol issue in their town, and whether it's really as big of a problem as it seems to be. 

We interviewed 44 students, and the film features a few of them, as well as statistics derived from the answers of all students.