ABOUT THE PROJECT

LOGLINE
In California, rising student tuition contributes more than state funding. FIGHT FORWARD follows multiple student activists in the state advocating for a return to free tuition in public universities.

SYNOPSIS
California’s public higher education has been tuition-free for the better part of its existence. However, in the last twenty years, the cost of attendance has tripled. State funds have plummeted and college students are paying more money to public universities than the government is. FIGHT FORWARD documents an ensemble of empowered student activists in their quest for affordable and accessible universities.

The film captures the extended lobbying efforts of student activists. Their goal is to persuade the state of California to invest more in higher education. Moreover, the documentary analyzes the current tuition cost and the ongoing for-profit trend of public colleges nationwide. Students today face a new alarming reality: tuition hikes, massive debt, homelessness, overcrowding and the increasing privatization of public universities. The documentary investigates these matters through their voices at the forefront.

FIGHT FORWARD also includes interviews with advocates, professors, student associations, administrators and state legislators. The intent is to reveal different facets of the public education system through the people on the inside, and the students affected by their decisions. The film’s main focus is to empower students into defending their rights.

The division of topics throughout the film will explore higher education public policy, the financial struggle of the average student, as well as the increasing monetization of public universities. With interviews and vox-pops, we will uncover what public education should be versus what it has become and can be.

PROJECT TYPE Documentary Feature

DIRECTOR Lesley Elizondo
PRODUCER Kitty Hu, Samuel Rubin, Luz Gaitan