We caught up with IFP Alumnus and Envision 2010 filmmaker Jennifer Arnold to talk about A SMALL ACT, which will screen at TheTimesCenter this Saturday, July 10th at 11:30 am as part of the “Envision: Addressing Global issues Through Documentary” forum. The program’s focus is Achieving Universal Primary Education, a goal that is directly addressed throughout Arnold’s film.
IFPENV: What do you hope A SMALL ACT accomplishes?
Arnold: I hope this film encourages people to do their own "small acts," whether donating to a cause they believe in or volunteering in their own community. When we started production my goal was to make a good film. But the response has been so phenomenal. Audience members have definitely taken the film's message to heart and gotten involved. Already the film has accomplished so much more than I ever dreamed of, I can't wait to see what's next.
IFPENV: Can you share with us some of your plans/campaign for achieving your goal?
Arnold: So far there's a "What's Your Small Act?" campaign which encourages people to do their own small acts. The film has partnered with HBO and Network for Good to build this webpage: www.networkforgood.com/asmallact where viewers can search for causes they want to support using key words or search local volunteer opportunities by zip code. HBO will actually be giving away "good cards" via the HBO Documentary Films facebook page and twitter feed. These are gift cards that can be redeemed at any of the 1.8 charities on the Network for Good site. We’re making it really easy for people to turn the sentiment of the film into real action. And if Network for Good doesn't have what you're looking for, there's also a Take Action page on the www.asmallact.com website with other suggestions on how to get involved in the movement.
IFPENV: What has been the reaction to the film so far?
Arnold: We premiered this film at Sundance and nothing could have prepared us for the response. One of the main storylines in the documentary deals with an education fund and after our second screening an audience member stood up and donated five thousand dollars – then and there. Then another person matched that pledge. In the next screening people started handing us twenties and hundreds, some wrote checks for thousands. Though we never solicited donations, by the end of Sundance (which is a ten day festival) $90,000 dollars was donated to the fund in the film. We couldn’t believe it. Since Sundance the education fund has been given a quarter million dollars by someone who saw the film. That blew my mind.
We also screened the film in the Kenyan village where I shot. Some of the Kenyan audience members pledged to replicate what they saw in the film. They wanted to start their own, small, locally run education funds. If more people start small education funds it will definitely make a big impact in Kenya as a whole. We set out to make a good movie and we ended up being one more link in this chain of amazing small acts. That makes me really proud.
IFPENV: What are some of the key questions people ask after they've seen the film?
Arnold: The first question I get after every screening is "How did you find this story?" The story really is incredible. If I hadn't filmed it myself I'm not sure I would believe it really happened - but it did.
IFPENV: Did the film change between the start of the project and when you finished?
Arnold: Certain aspects of the film stayed the same. We always knew we wanted to show a success story in Kenya. That was one of the reasons I loved Chris’ story. There are so many images of child soldiers and refugees in Africa, we wanted to paint a broader picture – yes there is poverty, but there is also a huge middle class and this middle class is bringing about a lot of change and solving a lot of problems.
We had no idea that violence would break out during the Kenya elections. That was really unexpected and that altered our storyline. Suddenly we had some of the stereotypical images of conflict in Africa that I was trying to avoid. But it also brought depth to the film. In this story there is a European who is a genocide survivor and an African who is a human rights worker and ultimately the message of that conflict storyline ended up being is that conflict can happen anywhere, to anyone.
IFPENV: Who from the film has seen it and what has been their response?
Arnold: Chris, Hilde and Chris’ cousin Jane all came to Sundance. They went to the premiere. All three cried! I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign, but they said the film was very touching. Then, after Sundance, I took the film to the Kenyan village where we shot. I blacked out a school hall, rented a projector and invited the whole village, including the three lead school kids. There is a lot of intimate stuff in this movie; things that a typical Kenyan would never tell their neighbors, so I hoped the kids’ families wouldn’t feel embarrassed. I held a private screening for the main families ahead of time. There was a lot of silence after the screening. The first thing they said was “I didn’t think it would be like that. It feels so real.” Of course it was real. I asked if they felt okay with me showing it and they all said I should definitely show it. People in the village should know that everyone has problems. That’s real life. After the screening the three kids came up in front of everyone for a Q&A. They introduced themselves proudly saying, “We are the ones in the film.” I really loved that moment.
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