Adrianna Powell and the Power of Grassroots Film

“Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate for the government of any other.” — John Adams

My dad was a cop who believed that too often the difference between an inmate and a productive citizen was merely a lack of guidance, motivation and opportunity. Dad spent the last ten years of his life creating law enforcement programs targeted towards troubled and at risk youth. He often said, “If I can reach them now, I won’t have to arrest them later.”

Four years ago Sheriff Arvin West assigned Sgt. Robert Wilson, Special Operations Officer for Hudspeth County Sheriff’s Department, to handle the annual Drug Awareness program for the county schools. Let me tell you, my dad would have been Sgt. Wilson’s biggest fan.

At the time of his assignment, Sgt. Wilson was new to the community. He turned to a young freshman Adrianna Powell, for help in getting kids excited about the Drug Awareness Project. Together with a handful of eager high school kids, they mounted an original play, “One Voice.” The show moved parents and kids alike.

The next year Sgt. Wilson had more kids wanting to participate in the program. Sheriff West brought big production values to the project by putting vehicles, video equipment and personnel at Sgt. Wilson’s disposal. So in the program’s second year they made a movie. The year after that they made a bigger movie. This year Adrianna wrote the script “An Angel Falls From Grace,” and Sheriff West and Sgt. Wilson persuaded Dallas filmmaker Rusty Fleming (“Drug Wars, Silver or Lead“) to help make their biggest film yet.

Rusty directed, brought in the cameras, equipment and crew heads. They gave parent and student volunteers a crash course in film production, and in less than a week they made a movie. Adrianna starred in the forty-five minute film and did more than her share of producing. This was truly her baby.

I had never been to a film opening that started with a prayer. This one did. “An Angel Falls From Grace” premiered to a packed audience in the Sierra Blanca Lobo Gymnasium. For a few moments I felt like I was back at Friday night fish fry at St. Joes… but Lake Perch can’t hold a candle to West Texas barbecue and this film hit home harder than any Sunday sermon.

Adrianna’s character Angel, goes from being class leader to drug addict in a single semester. She destroys her future as well as those of her loved ones without even a backward glance. The power of crystal meth is simply that strong. Angel’s drive to destruction is a path that many of these kids face everyday. The film succeeds in connecting perspective and reality to the choices these kids make daily. The parents got it. The students got it. The community and its kids are better because of Sgt. Wilson’s grassroots film academy.

Like I said, my Dad would have been proud.

I said goodbye that night to Adrianna and her family. The Powells were leaving first thing in the morning with film in hand to check out Missouri’s Avila University. Adrianna’s dad, Jim, was bursting with pride and excitement for his daughter, her accomplishments and her future. I had my concerns.

Times are tough, the economy is in the toilet and Jim works hard for a living. Twenty thousand dollars per year tuition plus expenses is a lot of money, but Jim had every confidence his daughter would have her dream of being a film major. The Sheriff’s department had every confidence in her. Heck, it seemed like the whole town had turned out for the screening, and they had every confidence in her. They did and it was well deserved.

Rusty called me a week later to say that Professor Dotty Hamilton loved “An Angel Falls From Grace” and that Avila University had offered Adrianna a full scholarship. Simply outstanding.

Adrianna Powell was blessed with great parents. She is a gifted and talented young woman. I believe that she would be a success, this film not withstanding. But because of Sgt. Wilson, Sheriff West, Rusty Fleming and a concerned and loving community, her path is golden. She inspired an entire high school student body to follow in her footsteps. As we speak, Sierra Blanca students are working on their own scripts for next year’s program and creating videos on their pcs.

In my ten years with the Inner City Slicker’s program I worked with over a thousand at-risk kids. Kids in gangs. Kids in prison. Kids that never had the strong guidance of someone like Sgt. Wilson. Kids that grew up without the incredible support of a caring community like Sierra Blanca. Kids that badly needed someone to make a difference in their lives.

I hope other filmmakers follow Rusty’s example. Donate some time and give some kids a hand up. I plan on making it down to Sierra Blanca next year and I invite any of my Hollywood colleagues to join me. Visiting Sierra Blanca is like stepping back to a better time in America. Seeing the power of people and film in action just feels good.

Chris Burgard

Bordermovie.com