Kids Say the Sharpest Things

Today, we screened the film for 316 students! After they hooted, hollered and cheered when they saw what the kids in Brooklyn were able to achieve in the film's climax, we had the daunting task of standing in front of a full house of students and answering their questions.

Pretty early on, a middle school kid stood up and said, "In the film, there is a mural that says 'Change your thoughts and you change your world' – has this experience changed your thoughts and your world?" We were sort of blown away by the question. It forced us to try to verbalize the how the film has affected us, which is no small task. Chad answered that, coming from a small town in Vermont where his graduating class only had 25 students, he had some serious preconceived notions about what life would be like in both places. Then, after meeting the kids and their families and seeing their sense of hope, especially in Sierra Leone, and the genuine kindness of the people he met in Bed-Stuy, he was embarrassed by what he thought they might be like. He went on to talk about how the experience has opened his eyes to the world and how he is careful not to form any preconceived notions in any aspect of his life.

Yesterday, we sat in a circle of 7-8th grade students at the Creative Arts Charter School in San Francisco and faced an equally impressive question. The kids were really curious as to where we stayed while we were in Sierra Leone. When we explained that we crashed in a fancy tourist hotel where we were on the beach, had access to showers, wi-fi and pizza, a kid raised his hand and asked how we could put ourselves up in a place with all the luxuries and comforts of home while the kids in the orphanage lived on dirt floors.

Honestly, that's a question we have often asked ourselves. How can we justify spending money to make a film rather than just giving it directly to people in need? The answer, we think, is doing everything we can to get the kids' stories out to the world. Thankfully, as we continue to work the festival circuit and meet with students like the ones we've seen in San Francisco, the voices of the kids in Sierra Leone and Brooklyn grow louder. And with each class that watches and discusses the film, awareness grows. We hope the film takes on a life of its own and inspires more action from kids throughout the world... and if it does, we'll know we've done our job.