Body Shaming, Social Media, Bullying And The Drive To Be Best - Videos For Educators About School Shootings Offered By Selfie Filmmaker And Positive Psychologist Barbara Becker Holstein

    WILMINGTON, NC, April 06, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- We want our children to be safe and to develop healthy self esteem and self confidence. This has always been the case. But today these basics are very difficult to achieve. Recently the New York Times ran a front page article regarding how lockdowns and school shootings leave our kids with years of ongoing trauma they must cope with.

Of all places, kids should certain be safe at home and in school. We send our children to school to learn. Do we want them instead locked down in a bathroom, scared to death, listening to gun shots?

We hope that their time with friends helps them learn to socialize and to navigate relationships. Do we want to see them threatened or bullied 24/7 on social media?

Is this the way we want to live as a society? Of course not.

If we want to fix it, there is no time to waste.

Selfie filmmaker and Positive Psychologist Barbara Becker Holstein has an answer that all can embrace, kids, parents, educators, mental health professionals, as her films touch us in a way that opens our hearts and minds to thing about problems and solutions.

"Prior to 'Lock Down', my films dealt with family and personal issues that kids face: moving to a new town, parents fighting, siblings, first crush, puberty, body changes, moods, feeling isolated and lonely and looking to be understood," Holstein stated. "Gradually I've felt a responsibility to bring into my coming of age films even more 'hot' topics: the drug crisis, cutting, early pregnancy, alcohol, prescription meds and now: school shootings.

"My latest film, 'Lock Down' is one of my shortest, under three minutes. Yet, it conveys many of the dilemmas we face as a society. In the film we see three girls experiencing intense anxiety, fear and panic during a lock down. The film doesn't deal with actual injuries or deaths or the later possibility of suicide by survivors, but it does take us to an intense bathroom scene that makes each ask ourselves, is this what we want our kids or grand kids to go through today in school, when they should be learning? Do we want them locked in a bathroom, scared to death, hearing gun shots. Do we want dangerous weapons easily accessible, often to people who really need but don't have access to good mental health care, to create havoc and leave kids traumatized with PTSD that can stay for years and limit personal growth? Is this the way we want to live as a society?

"My latest podcast, 'More About Kids and Anxiety' was all about the above. 'Lock Down' was shown along with selfies done by the actresses in character, showing how the girls felt a day later after the shooting. I was thrilled to have Mr. Arthur Howard, Principal and Jaime Antonio-Bravo, a certified School Psychologist in New Jersey on board as well as two of the actresses from Lock Down, Megan Brown and Rachel Gesner discussing anxiety and trauma. As Arthur Howard said in reference to lockdowns: 'Talk about anxiety, that's anxiety to the 10th degree'.

"I am making 'Lock Down' available to all at the same time it will be entered in film festivals. We have no time to waste in dealing with the safety of our kids, physically and emotionally. I hope 'Lock Down' will help generate the type of compassionate concern and connection that moves us as a society to thoughtful and timely solutions."

Holstein's short films have won numerous awards and accolades.

The Truth A Short Film:

Garden State Film Festival Premier - Best Pop Song 2016
Golden Door Int. Film Festival - Official Selection - September 2016
Grove Film Festival - Showing - May 2017
Female Filmmakers Film Festival - Official Selection - 12th of 92 films
Roselle Park Shorts Film Festival - Official Selection - September 2017

The Truth A Short Short Film:

FilmOneFest Premier - July 2016
Chain Film Festival - Official Selection - August 2016
Jersey City Int. Television and Film Festival - Official Selection - November 2016
Hang On To Your Shorts Film Festival - Official Selection- May 2017

Secrets A Coming Of Age Selfie Film:

Alice Guy-Blache Women In Cinema Award - Nomination - October 2017, Golden Door International Film Festival
NewFilmmakers, Manhattan- Official Selection, January 24, 2018
Brightside Tavern Shorts Fest Film Series - Best Experimental Film nomination - March 2018
Brightside Tavern Shorts Fest Film Series - Best New Jersey Short nomination - March 2018
Brightside Tavern Shorts Fest Film Series - Best Concept nomination - March 2018
Hang on To Your Shorts, Official Selection - April 2018, Nominated for Best New Jersey Drama and Best Experimental Film
Awarded: Best Educational Film Award at the Jersey Shore Film Festival, August, 2018
Shown March 1 1018 as one of 6 outstanding women's films at the Behane Center in Jersey City, for Women's History Month by Golden Door International Film Festival.
Brightside Tavern Film Festival, Season 7 - Best Experimental Film - March 2018
Jersey Shore Film Festival - Best Educational Film - August 2018
Indie Awards - Award of Recognition in 3 categories: Women Filmmakers, Leading Actress and Educational / Instruction / Training

Falling In Love A Coming Of Age Selfie Film:

Brightside Tavern Film Festival-March 2017- Best Experimental Film Nomination, Second Place Award as Best New Jersey Film Short
Grove Film Festival, Official Selection-May 2017
Hang On To Your Shorts Film Festival - Best Experimental Film nomination - May 2017
Hang On To Your Shorts Film Festival - Best Concept Film nomination - May 2017
Hang On To Your Shorts Film Festival - Megan Brown Rising Star Award - May 2017
Love Shorts Film Festival - Official Selection - February 2018

Conflict:

Official selection to premiere at the New Jersey International Film Festival at Rutgers University on June 9th, 2018
Semi-finalist in the JELLY Fest Film Festival, June, 2018
Official Selection Golden Door International Film Festival - September 2018

Angst:

Official Selection for the Brightside Tavern Film Festival in early August, 2018

Selfie:

Official selection at the One Minute Film Fest, Teaneck, New Jersey, September 8, 2018

'The Medium, A Coming of Age, Selfie Film'

Selected to be screened at the Young Filmmakers's Screenings in Manhattan in early March, 2019.
Selected to be screened at Brightside Tavern Film Festival, March 3, 2019. Megan Brown nominated for Best Actress.

The Selfie Project Pilot

Independent Shorts Award - Certificate of Achievement Los Angeles, December 2018
Global Indian Film Festival - Selected for screening - Mumbai India, January 2019
Best Shorts Competition - Awards of Recognition - The Selfie Project Educational/Instructional/Training
Independent Talents International Film Festival- Semi-Finalist
Screened at Brightside Tavern Film Festival, March 3, 2019. Awarded for Best Concept for a Film.

Conflict and a Bit of Magic, A Coming of Age, Selfie Film

To be screened at 52 Weeks Film Festival
Global Film Festival Awards, January 2019;
Winner for Best Indie Filmmaker: Barbara Becker Holstein; Winner for Best Young Actor: Megan Brown
Independent Talents International Film Festival, Semi-Finalist

'Secrets' was selected for inclusion in "Passages: Women in Transition," Women In Media - Newark's 2018 Women's History Month film festival, held on March 27 – April 5, 2018 at Rutgers University Newark, New Jersey, and at various satellite venues in the area.

'Falling in Love, A Coming of Age, Selfie Film, is detailed in a new ebook: 'A Selfie Film - Falling In Love' by Dr. Holstein. This ebook presents issues and stories behind the creation of Dr. Holstein's "selfie films", which utilize cutting edge New Media technology. Topics and questions for discussion can be used by a parent and a child, or a group of hundreds as universal subjects of growing up and handling tough issues are presented.

Dr. Holstein makes a number of her books and films available to be used as fundraising tools. She requests that any verified charitable organization interested in raising funds contact her via email. She is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at [email protected]. More information about all of the above is available at her website at http://www.enchantedself.com.

Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known Positive Psychologist is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®, a positive psychology method for happiness and a pioneer in Selfies as Film. Dr. Holstein's Enchanted Self website was included as one of the best websites in positive psychology. She is in private practice in Long Branch, New Jersey with her husband, Dr. Russell M. Holstein.

Dr. Barbara can be found on the web, interviewed, writing articles and posting video 'TED' style talks on Happiness, Positive Psychology, Relationships and Parenting.

She has been a contributor to Your Tango, Heart and Soul, Cosmopolitan Magazine, Redbook, Real Simple, The Wall Street Journal, Time on line, the Today Show and Family Circle Magazine.

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