Hill-Freedman World Academy Celebrates HBO Debut of STAND UP & SHOUT: Songs from a Philly High School

Hill-Freedman World Academy is celebrating the debut of the HBO Original documentary STAND UP & SHOUT: Songs from a Philly High School. The documentary, produced by Get Lifted Film Co., was released on HBO on November 7, 2023.

The film’s focus is on tenth grade students who are back in the classroom following the COVID-19 pandemic, taking part in a unique songwriting collaboration. Through the school’s International Baccalaureate (IB) Design & Music Technology program, students work with local musicians and come together to write, compose, produce and perform their own work, with the final product – an album release. The documentary explores the transformative power of music and how arts education can unlock creativity and be a source of hope and healing.

Hill-Freedman is committed to fostering students’ creativity and lifting student voices through Hill-Freedman Records, the school’s record label. Hill-Freedman Records has released six albums including First Verse: Sounds from Hill-Freedman Studios (2017), What’s Going On (2018), Wake Up Everybody (2019), Things That Matter (2020), Love & Healing (2021), and its most recent, Growing Up Black (2022). The albums are co-produced with World Cafe Live, a nonprofit independent venue dedicated to live music, education and community engagement, which provides teaching artists throughout the school year who mentor students musically.

STAND UP & SHOUT was directed by Amy Schatz, an Emmy® and Peabody award winner and executive produced by the Get Lifted Film Co. team: Mike Jackson, an Emmy® and Tony® award winner; John Legend Emmy®, Grammy®, Oscar®, and Tony® (EGOT)  winner; and Ty Stiklorius, Emmy® award winner.

On November 9, the Greenwich International Film Festival will honor Get Lifted Film Co. Executive John Legend, MIke Jackson, and Ty Stiklorius as the 2023 Changemakers at the Changemaker Gala, which will benefit Hill-Freedman Records.

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