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Recognizing and honoring Overbrook High School graduates Joyce “Eli” Bevins and Jean “Lu” Bevins for their recognition by the Cannes Film Festival for the short film “My Dear Arthur”.
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WHEREAS, Joyce and Jean Bevins are Philadelphia natives and graduates of Overbrook High School in West Philadelphia. After graduating from Overbrook, the twin sisters went on to earn Bachelor of Science Degrees in Computer Science from Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina in 2012. Both Joyce and Jean then entered the Master’s Program at Indiana University’s School of Informatics and Computing on full academic scholarships and graduated in 2015; and
WHEREAS, Joyce and Jean always had a passion for filmmaking. The sisters began writing scripts as early as elementary school and continued working on their craft throughout high school. During their days as graduate students at Indiana University, they continued writing and making films; and
WHEREAS, The Bevins’ sisters dual roles as filmmakers and graduate school students often required long days of work, limited sleep, and matchless determination. With assistance from students in the Theatre Department who acted in their productions, the Bevins sisters decided to enter their films in contests to determine how well their work would be received; and
WHEREAS, They started in 2014 with Campus MovieFest, which is the world’s largest student film festival. In 2015, the Bevins sisters submitted three films that were contenders in Hollywood’s (2015) Campus MovieFest (CMF) competition: My Dear Arthur, The Exit, and ID. As a result, they won two Jury Film Awards: one for Best Actress and the other for Best Editor; and
WHEREAS, The social justice films created by the Bevins sisters are often inspired by Philadelphia’s well-documented chronicles of poverty, crime and unbalanced opportunities amongst the City’s diverse population, all of which the Bevins sisters believe are not illuminated on commercial movie screens; and
WHEREAS, The Cannes Film Festival is an annual event that draws award-winning filmmakers to network with their peers and industry professionals. In early 2016, Joyce and Jean Bevins were contacted by the organizers of the Cannes Film Festival to alert them that their film, My Dear Arthur, had been recognized as “an extraordinary achievement in storytelling, technical excellence and creativity”; and
WHEREAS, The Bevins sisters were invited to join an elite group of films and filmmakers at the 2016 Cannes International Film Festival, making Philadelphians extremely proud; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That it hereby recognizes and honors Overbrook High School graduates Joyce “Eli” Bevins and Jean “Lu” Bevins for their recognition by the Cannes Film Festival for the short film My Dear Arthur.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to Joyce and Jean Bevins further evidencing the sincere admiration and gratitude of this legislative body.
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