NYC program trains at-risk youth in filmmaking to “flip the script” on gun violence

In a city that saw a 136% increase in minors arrested with a gun from 2018 to 2024, a unique effort is underway to empower some of those young people to put their lives on a new path.

The New York City Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice runs “Flip the Script,” a 40-week program that trains at-risk teens and young adults, often with gun charges, in filmmaking. The 18- to 24-year-old participants, mainly from Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the South Bronx, are paid $20 an hour.

One of those teens, KJ Campbell, lost his father and two brothers to gun violence. The 19-year-old was also arrested in 2023 for illegal gun possession.

Campbell says that while in jail, he realized he needed to change the course of his life, “I see how people in there talk, the way they move, I don’t wanna be like them.”

Soon after Campbell’s release from jail, he enrolled in “Flip the Script,” which sparked his passion for filmmaking.

“I feel like this program could get me way far than I’m supposed to be … because I know I’ve got talent,” said Campbell. He now plans to pursue a career as a film director.

Samantha Kleinfield, the Office of Criminal Justice’s executive director, created the program in 2021 to help combat gun violence.

So far this year, 14% of shooting suspects in New York City are minors, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and 14% of all shooting victims are also under the age of 18.

“We were looking at innovative ways to address the rising gun violence and gang violence in New York City,” said Kleinfield. “Filmmaking is seen as the transformative power of the arts to be able to process the trauma that a lot of these kids have experienced.”

Entertainment industry professionals mentor the participants and teach them hard and soft skills needed to launch their careers.

One of the mentors, Aaron Jones, urges his mentees to adopt a new mindset: “It’s cool to be positive and to do something with your life, instead of just throwing it away.”

The 12-person crew is expected to finish their project this summer — a short film about gun violence that will premiere at a movie theater and be entered into next year’s Tribeca Film Festival.

The office aims to establish a pipeline that leads from the program to full-time jobs. Since its inception in 2021, over 60 people have graduated from the program and 70% of them are still employed.

Kleinfield has an even bigger vision for the participants long term, saying, “I want to see them at the Academy Awards.”