
Coming to Disney+ today, Friday, March 12:
OWN THE ROOM
Director:
Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster
World Premiere:
Hot Docs 2020 (unscreened)
About:
Five students bring their big ideas to the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards.
Organized by a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship around the world, the Global Student Entrepreneur Awards is a series of competitions open to students (between high school and graduate school) who have already demonstrated their ability to turn a profit with their own businesses. Filmmakers Cristina Costantini and Darren Foster follow five hopefuls who have qualified to pitch their projects at the finals in Macau. Hailing from Nepal, Puerto Rico, Kenya, Greece, and the US by way of Venezuela, this diverse range of entrants have come up with equally varied ideas, some more creative and compelling than others. Hewing somewhat closely to competition doc conventions, the film generates true drama as one competitor risks missing his time slot to pitch after being detained by authorities – tellingly, the only African in the competition. Ultimately, however, the doc proves winning because of its hopefulness and the charisma of its subjects.