Film students spread the mission of a local nonprofit through the power of storytelling 

George Mason University film and video studies major Aryaman Kantawala knew that getting real-world experience was an essential part of building his career. But he wasn’t expecting to get as much creative free rein as he did on his most recent project.  

Kantawala is directing a student-produced documentary about  the nonprofit DC Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation, a local nonprofit that supports children with cancer, as well as their families.  

The opportunity to direct the documentary came courtesy of Entertainment 2 Affect Change (E2AC), an organization that provides creative students and individuals the opportunity to use storytelling to share the mission and impact of local nonprofits. 

E2AC is partnering with chapters from Delta Kappa Alpha (DKA), a national cinematic arts society open to all majors, including the George Mason  chapter.  

“We talked to [E2AC], and they gave us some guidelines, but mostly they gave us a lot of freedom,” said Kantawala, who is part of the E2AC Student Fellowship program.  

Kantawala has mapped out the arc of the film, which will be shown at a DC Candlelighters’ fundraising event in March 2026.  

“We’re making a narrative of a family whose child was diagnosed with cancer, and our documentary will center on their lives and how they were impacted by this. Then we'll show how they found this amazing organization,” said Kantawala, a sophomore Honors College student and the networking chair for George Mason’s DKA chapter.  

“We’ll show some of the organization events and then at the end of the documentary, we’ll loop back to the original family to see how the child is doing,” he said.  

Mel Moya-Jaldin is a senior film and video studies major with a concentration in producing and a minor in business who is also working on the film as a producer. She joined George Mason’s DKA chapter in the fall of 2023 and is now the president.   

“I was very excited to hear about a huge national organization like E2AC wanting to work with young filmmakers and actually taking that initiative,” said Moya-Jaldin.  

“From the first meeting, whether it was with the organization’s presidents or volunteers, I felt like I was connecting with a wider community, which is where you’d start for any kind of project, but especially nonfiction, documentary film work.”  

Moya-Jaldin says she hopes to learn more about the logistical and business side of filmmaking as well as improve her public speaking skills so she can become more comfortable pitching films, “and also supporting any filmmakers that might be a little bit shy to put themselves out there," she said.  

“I’ve had two opportunities this semester to make videos similar to the one we’re making for DC Candlelighters. Thankfully, I’ve been able to apply the knowledge I’ve obtained from DKA and my courses to the work I’m doing for E2AC,” she said. “I'm learning about what it takes to work with a nonprofit and make content for them in real time, which is really cool.”  

“The DKA environment is really inspiring. Everyone is so knowledgeable and they really uplift the organization. I decided to focus on producing and hopefully eventually enter a leadership position within the organization and am very happy to have made it this far,” said Moya-Jaldin, who is partnered with Kantawala for the E2AC Student Fellowship program.  

The students say working with E2AC is a really good opportunity for young filmmakers who are trying to get their foot in the door while also supporting an important cause.  

“Their goals are definitely something that's aligned with me personally because I really want to find my footing in the filmmaking industry, but also make an impact on my community,” Moya-Jaldin said.