SHINE GLOBAL INC

The Harvest documents the lives of children migrant farm laborers in the US and the hardships they face working long hours in the fields, missing school, and being exposed to dangerous pesticides.
Directed by U Roberto Romano, The Harvest is set to premier in winter 2011

Academy Award winner INOCENTE is an inspiring coming-of-age story of a 15-year old girl in California. Though homeless and undocumented, she refuses to give up on her dream of being an artist, proving that the hand she has been dealt does not define her – her dreams do.

1 WAY UP in 3D, is the story of Tre and Quillan, two teenage boys on the road to the BMX World Championships. They hope to escape one of the toughest gang neighborhoods in London with the only thing they have – a bike.

* 1 Way Up in 3D demonstrates the universal power of sports to transform children’s lives.

* According to Jardine Finn, the Sports Development Manager for a London borough: ”The local councillors had some reservations about a BMX project being developed in H&F [Hammersmith & Fulham borough]. After seeing the video [of 1 Way Up] and the positive activity and smiling faces they knew that this could be a great opportunity for local young people.”

* The new track was officially unveiled in June 2014 and is open to all BMX riders, including the local BMX Club that was just established!

* Joe McTague, the Programme Leader at UK charity Access Sport says, “We regularly use the footage from 1 Way Up to enthuse people about BMX. Whilst shaping phase 2 of the BMX Legacy Project the use of this trailer contributed greatly to 7 different London boroughs joining in partnership with Access Sport to develop a BMX club in their borough. 1 Way Up demonstrates what can be achieved when you empower inspirational local people, a message at the heart of what Access Sport is all about.”

A charismatic activist leads a globally-regarded NGO that provides shelter and education for girls rescued from brothels in Northern Thailand. But as the filmmakers meet the girls and their families, discrepancies begin to emerge and the story takes an unexpected turn.

The Wrong Light explores the exploitation and misrepresentation of young girls in Thailand. The outreach and engagement work will explore the broader issues of exploitation and lack of transparency at all levels of the global aid system. The campaign will support a shift in how journalists, the wider media, non-profit organizations, individual donors, fundraisers, decision-makers in the global aid and development industry, and documentary filmmakers understand and work towards narrative authenticity and integrity.

In DANCING IN JAFFA, produced in association with kNow Productions and Tiara Blu Films, meet the Muslim, Christian, and Jewish Israeli 10-year olds who, despite being taught to hate one another, have the courage to partner together in a dance competition in Jaffa, Israel.

TRE MAISON DASAN is a story that explores parental incarceration through the eyes of three boys. Following their interweaving trajectories through boyhood marked by the criminal justice system, and told directly through the child’s perspective, the film unveils the challenges of growing up and what it means to become a man in America. Hilarious, heartbreaking, uplifting and ending with tremendous hope, Tre, Maison and Dasan’s lives are stories of growing up, struggle, loss, empathy, positivity, resilience and unconditional love.

Produced in Association with Shine Global.

Although a bi-partisan, national conversation around incarceration in American has been raging, the population of children affected by their parent’s incarceration has remained largely ignored. As “law and order” policies are once again promised by a new administration, the voices of children must be an instrumental component of the conversation moving forward. Beyond generational incarceration, parental incarceration is at the core of many issues including child poverty, high school drop out rates, drug abuse and others at the forefront of youth-issues in America. Tre, Maison, Dasan will be a critical immersion into how these separate systems interact within the lives of these three boys.

One in fourteen children have or have had a parent in prison. They represent the future of our country, the lasting affects of our vast incarceration system, and a chance to break a seemingly endless cycle of racism and imprisonment. Often we tell stories about children through a top down perspective, influenced by what we (adults) “know” about their psychology and how their lives will unfold. Children are critical thinkers and feelers, innocent to the boxes that society will eventually force them to conform to – race, gender, mental health, and socio-economic status. There is a desperate need for a film, and a practice, that allows the children to speak for themselves, and fully represents the experience for others living with an incarcerated parent.

In this documentary/animated film, a talented group of orphaned children in Swaziland collaborate to write an original African tale about Liyana, a girl on a dangerous quest. Inspired by the children’s darkest memories and brightest dreams, their fictional character’s journey reveals parallels between her fate and that of the young storytellers. Produced in Association with Shine Global.

We want to encourage young people to make their voices heard, and to unite their communities as they look for world-changing solutions within themselves. This shift in perspective will also apply to key players in the NGO world as they examine their own practices and help to increase respect and reduce stigma about the people they serve. Ultimately our goal is to use the power of storytelling to dispel misconceptions about vulnerable African populations from the outside, as well as improve the confidence in their own potential to help others and to make the world a better place.

UPCOMING IMPACT STRATEGIES:
• Graphic novel of Liyana’s story
• Educational materials & discussion guides
• Solar powered screening tour across Southern Africa
• Screenings for underserved communities in the US
• Storytelling workshops & live performances

A documentary about unlikely allies in Richmond, VA who partner to transform the juvenile justice system and stop mass incarceration. In the film, we meet Sid, Taee, and AR, three teens currently being held in a Richmond, VA detention center who are offered the chance to become activists speaking truth to power. Participating in a local arts organizations’ program, Performing Statistics, they are taught by different artists to deliver their powerful, authentic messages to the public, law enforcement, and government officials using their art, including a virtual reality jail cell they’ve helped create. Directed by André Robert Lee.

Every year about 300,000 kids are confined in youth detention in the US, limiting their potential to succeed in life.

70-80% will be re-arrested within 2 or 3 years of being released
Nearly ⅔ will never complete high school.

In Homefront, three children of veteran families cope with the emotional impact of having a wounded parent, navigate the unique challenges of visible and invisible injuries sustained during military service, and together journey toward collective healing.

Homefront is part of the Sesame Workshop documentary series Through Our Eyes.
In the US, more than three million children live in homes with servicemembers and veterans who rely on caregiver support. Gabby, Terry, and Luther all have parents who were injured while serving, and each family has found a way to heal the wounds of war.

Directed by Kristi Jacobson
Produced by Alexandra Blaney and Netsanet Negussie
Produced by Sesame Workshop in Association with Shine Global
Now Streaming on HBOMax