Getting youth engaged with more than their smartphone or tablet can be a challenge these days. But a local organization is harnessing the power of media to plug the young’uns into social issues and their own voices. 

The Reel 2 Real International Film Festival for Youth, now in its 17^th iteration running from April 10 to 17, is back to bring films from around the world to Vancouver children and teenagers and get them involved in what's going on.

"One of the things that is important to us as a festival is that all the films are connected to an activity," executive director Venay Felton says by phone.

Case-in-point is Sunday Fun Day on April 12 which features an all-day schedule of short film screenings with a choice of three animation workshops to attend.

This year's expanded Youth Media Conference and Expo includes a digital literacy panel, in which audiences will critique and discuss YouTube series with their creators.

Attendees can also learn about what goes on behind the scenes in the film industry at sessions with professionals working in everything from visual effects to makeup and sound design.

Engaging youth in civic issues is also an underlying theme in this year's lineup.

A prime example is the festival's closing film, True Son. This documentary captures the story of Michael Tubbs, a 22-year-old who campaigned for a seat on city council in crime-ravaged, impoverished Stockton, California.

"By statistics, you would not expect him to have a successful life but Michael Tubbs is unique and in spite of being raised by a teenage mother and an incarcerated father, he manages to inspire the youth in Stockton, California, to elect him to city council," Felton says. "It's just very inspiring. You see the hard work behind getting elected and also fighting racism and the abuse of power along the way."

To help link the film to local relevancy, it's paired with "Militant Mothers". As part of the Black Strathcona series, this documentary short tells the story of a group of local moms in the 1970s who took on city council and a national railway company for failing to respond to their safety concerns about a railroad in their neighbourhood.

That film's director, Gordon McLennan, along with Black Dot Roots and Culture Collective creative director Kevan Cameron will participate in a post-screening discussion with Tubbs (via Skype).

Another example of youth  initiating social change is the French-language feature The Outlaw League. When the children of a Quebec village learn that their baseball field will be converted into a city dump, they fight to save it, with the entire community becoming involved.

Another theme of the festival is one that crops up every year: the resilience of young people. That's particularly evident in Giovanni's Island. This animated film follows the struggles of two Japanese boys must adapt to a Soviet takeover of the island of Shikotan after the Second World War.

To connect the film to local history, guest speaker Akira Horii will participate in a post-screening talk about his experience of the Japanese Canadian Internment.

Meanwhile, multiple short film programs throughout the festival will address numerous other topical issues, including bullying, gender and sexual identities, racial and religious issues, culture clash, generational gaps, and more.

But it's not all just for kids.

Of the festival's kick-off film, Felton says Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet is "a perfect example of what we look for, especially for opening night, and that's a film that will appeal equally to adults and children."

Featuring the work of 10 different animators, the film is inspired by Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran and boasts a bevy of Hollywood names doing voicework, including Liam Neeson, Salma Hayek, John Krasinski, and Quvenzhané Wallis.

"There's a framing story about a little girl who is essentially finding her voice, and that is the focus of the film: the freedom to speak and write and hold beliefs," Felton says.

As a matter of fact, that statement encapsulates what Reel 2 Real aspires to help its attendees do, no matter what age they may be.