Brooklyn film students hosting cultural exchange with students from France

NEW YORK (WABC) -- In Hollywood, it was a familiar refrain during this year's award season: the movie industry needs more diversity.

That cry is being answered, right here in our area.

And a Brooklyn-based student group is leading the way.

This is a unique cultural exchange program that brings students over from France to work for a week with young men and women from our area.

We caught up with them in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn.

The voice of authority calling out "Action!" belongs to local teenager Tayana Brumaire.

"Having that chance to be a leader as a woman is really amazing," she said.

Tayana is part of a Brooklyn based program called "Reel Works" which is looking to make the film industry more diverse, one student at a time.

The exchange with a similar group in Paris is their boldest move yet.

"We each chose five filmmakers who would collaborate together, and they met online," said the organization's executive director John C. Williams.

Exchanging short films designed to break down stereotypes those from each country might have about the other.

Such myths went up in smoke after the French actually came here.

"I'd never worked with people from another country before, and that's a great experience to have," said student Justin Casquejo.

"They were like really open, and that made me open up myself and get to know them a little bit more," said student Roshanna Paul.

Both groups share similar challenges: "I'm from 'The Banlieu': from the 'hood, and this is why I'm so grateful to be here because it's not a chance that people have to travel like this," said French student Tracy Nganare.

The goal is to make two films with a common theme. One is a comedy. The other, a documentary.

"It's about accepting yourself as you are," said French student Alison Valence.

"And being proud of who you are in that sense," said student Mie Abouelkheir.

With acceptance of each other has come...admiration: "They're always giving more and more and more. Never stop to give, and that is beautiful," said French student Souleymane Sylla.

"They're not too different from us actually. A lot of us have similar backgrounds, and we're each going out of our comfort zones," said student Dexter Duggar.

This weekend Dexter Duggar will get on a flight to Paris for his first trip out of the country.

The teen from Coney Island and the other kids from this area will get an all-expenses paid trip to France to finish shooting their movies there next week.

The non-profit organization "Reel Works" hopes this will be the first of many cultural exchanges.