Director Lee Hirsch, who won both the Audience Award and the Freedom of Expression Award at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival (and later an Emmy) for his documentary AMANDLA! A REVOLUTION IN FOUR PART HARMONY, is currently finishing a new film on the violence facing young people in schools, THE BULLY PROJECT.
The film, subtitled “a year in the life of America’s bullying crisis,” profiles a number of students around the US who face daily harassment and even violence from their peers, as well as the parents and families of bullied children and teens who committed suicide as a final solution to coping with their situation. Following them from the first day of class to the last day of school, THE BULLY PROJECT aims to put faces on the bullying epidemic that has rightfully generated headlines this past year, and hopes to affect real change in people’s perceptions on the appropriateness of dealing with the issue by parents, teachers, and students themselves.
Currently, Hirsch is in the midst of a $25,000 IndieGoGo crowdfunding campaign for the project, and to date has raised nearly half of his goal. Funds raised are earmarked for post-production and outreach costs. There are still nearly two months to go in the campaign, so if you’re interested in making a tax-deductible contribution, follow the link in this paragraph.
You can keep up with developments via the film’s website, which includes a mailing list sign-up, or at its Facebook page.
THE BULLY PROJECT is envisioned not just as a film but as a grassroots movement to help create safe spaces for kids, with this documentary as a powerful advocacy tool. The well-produced trailer, available on the film’s website and on the IndieGoGo campaign page, does an effective job of hinting at the impact bullying has on its featured subjects. The characters are sympathetic and articulate, making the viewer want to see more from their stories. Importantly, it ends with hope, which is what these kids suffering from such daily torment really need most of all.
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