Teen moviemaker wants to educate through film

Bradenton Herald | 06/11/2004 | Teen moviemaker wants to educate through film

Chaille Stovall is a typical 15-year-old. Like other high school students, much of his time is occupied by school, studies, friends and summer camp.

His first feature-length documentary, "Party Animals (or how to get to the White House in five easy steps)" addresses why kids should care about politics, specifically the 2000 presidential campaign. The award-winning "Party Animals" was aired on HBO in November, 2001 and distributed by The Video Project.

During 2000, Chaille spent much of his free time trailing the presidential campaigns of Republican and Democratic candidates until he landed interviews with George W. Bush, Al Gore, Bill Bradley, Ralph Nader and John McCain.

Following "Party Animals," Chaille pitched "Little Monk" to HBO after he heard a news story about a 6-year-old boy in India who was required by tradition to leave his family, friends and his toys to become a Buddhist monk in Tibet.

Chaille's latest project is "Granny Gets It On," a film dealing with AIDS and the elderly, filmed in Miami.

"I made the movie as a valentine to my grandmother," he said. "I wanted her to know that she's not bulletproof. A lot of grandmothers think they are. They didn't get sex education in school. You're still vulnerable, no matter how old you are."

His list of favorite directors includes Stanley Kubrick, Kenneth Branaugh, Steven Spielberg, Alfred Hitchcock, Francis Ford Coppola and Michael Moore.

"Of all the filmmakers, I want to meet Michael Moore," Chaille said of the controversial documentarian whose new film, "Fahrenheit 9/11" will be released June 25.

"His questions hit hard," he said of Moore's style.