Update on the Kids of Calcutta
November 2006
Avijit, 17, completed his first year of high school in the U.S. in 2005. After spending this past summer at the Sundance Film Lab, he is now in his junior year at an excellent private school in Salt Lake City. He will be participating in the "Show and Tell" exhibit at the Zimmer Children's Museum in L.A. next spring.
A painting by Avijit
Below is a short documentary, Culture, by Avijit.culture
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Avijit and Manik
Manik, 15, is now starting his second year at FutureHope, which he really enjoys. He recently travelled to Sikkim on a trip with his classmates. Manik visits his mother often and still flies kites.
Shanti, 16, was also accepted into FutureHope last year and is currently in class 8. She is very happy at FutureHope and continues to excel in her studies.
Tapasi left Sabera earlier this year and is currently attending a local school. Now 17, she enjoys singing and is very good at sewing. Her younger sister continues to stay at the Sabera Foundation.
Suchitra, 20, is living at home and currently working for a greeting card manufacturer.
Kochi (her real name is Monty) is now 14 years old. She is currently in class 7 in her fifth year at the Sabera Foundation. Kochi now speaks fluent English and enjoys science, in addition to playing the violin and the cello. She hopes to continue her studies in the U.S. in the near future, and Kids with Cameras is researching potential schools and families to host her stay.
A drawing and a letter from Kochi (Monty)
There are three other children who were not featured in the film, but who participated in Zana's workshops and with whom we have maintained close relationships and continue to support:
Mamoni, 14, whose prints are included in the traveling exhibit and book. Mamoni faced a particularly difficult year, after being forced to marry and enduring the death of her mother. She is back at the Sabera Foundation, and still wants to be a doctor. She hopes to study in the U.S. as well, with the support of Kids with Cameras.
A letter and drawing from Mamoni
Binod, 20, is a talented artist who specializes in watercolors. Sensitive and artistic, he is currently completing class 12 at FutureHope and wants to continue studying art in college.
Madan, 19, was one of Zana's first students, and has a lifelong interest in art, literature and yoga. He still lives at home in the red-light district but is studying commerce at university in Calcutta. KWC will continue to support his education through university.
The Born Into Brothels soundtrack contains original music from the film by composer John McDowell. Several unreleased tracks by the same composer are included as well as two Bollywood tracks from the film Mohabbatein. McDowell gathered an amazing ensemble of musicians that infused this acoustic score with depth and soul. Featuring vocalist Sabina Sciubba from the Brazilian Girls, chanting master Krishna Das, bamboo virtuoso Steve Gorn, jazz legend Cameron Brown on bass, Ty Burhoe on tabla, John Vartan on Armenian deduk, and many more world musicians. Purchase the soundtrackBORN INTO BROTHELS: MUSIC FROM THE FILM Compact disc $18 plus shipping and handlingAll proceeds from soundtrack sales support Kids with Cameras in fulfilling its mission.
Winner of the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary Film, BORN INTO BROTHELS, was produced and directed by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski. Zana Briski, a New York based photographer, gives each of these youngsters a camera and teaches them how to take pictures, simultaneously causing them to look at their world with new eyes. Their photographs are prisms into their souls, rather than anthropological curiosities, and a true testimony to the power of the indelible creative spirit.The Born Into Brothels DVD contains these special features: Director's Commentary with Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski SPECIAL Kids Video Commentary/ Selected scenes of the kids watching and commenting on the film Reconnecting: An update of the Kids, 3 years later Deleted scenes Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Charlie Rose Interview with Ross and Zana (excerpts) Photo gallery / Publicity Stills Kids with Cameras Page Theatrical Trailer Dolby Digital 5.1 Purchase the movieBORN INTO BROTHELS: THE DVD $25.00 (includes shipping & handling)A portion of the proceeds from the purchase of this product supports Kids with Cameras.
Awards:77th Academy Awards®Best Documentary Feature 2005 IFP Independent Spirit AwardsDIRECTV/IFC Truer Than Fiction Award 2004 L.A. Film CriticsWinner, Best Documentary of the Year 2004 International Documentary AssociationDistinguished Documentary Achievement Award 2004 National Board of ReviewWinner, Best Documentary of the Year 2004 Sundance Film FestivalAudience Award 2004 Human Rights WatchNestor Almendros Prize for Courage in Filmmaking 2004 Seattle International Film FestivalBest Documentary Award 2004 Silverdocs Film FestivalAudience Award 2004 Full Frame Documentary Film FestivalAudience Award 2004 Atlanta Film FestivalTurner Broadcasting Audience Award 2004 Nashville Film FestivalBest Documentary and Audience Awards 2004 Cleveland Film FestivalAudience Award 2004 Amnesty International Film FestivalAudience Award 2004 Bermuda Film FestivalBest Documentary and Audience Awards 2004 Durango Film FestivalBest Documentary, Filmmaker's and Audience Awards 2004 Newport Beach Film FestivalSpecial Merit Award 2004 Artivist Film FestivalChildren's Day Award 2004 Sydney Int'l Film FestivalAudience Award 2004 BendFilmAudience Award 2004 BendFilmBest Score 2004 Chicago Int'l Film FestivalThe Gold Hugo for Best Documentary Feature 2004 Chicago Int'l Film FestivalThe "Level Above the Rest" prize 2004 High Falls Film FestivalAudience Award for Best Documentary 2005 Portland Film FestivalBest Documentary Ashland International Film Festival 2005Best Documentary Planete Doc Review, Warsaw 2005Audience Award
Now available is "Kids with Cameras," the updated and more comprehensive new edition of the book "Born into Brothels.""Kids with Cameras" presents the striking photographs taken by the children we all came to know so well in the Academy-Award winning documentary film, Born Into Brothels. The new cloth-covered edition includes additional photographs by the children, profiles and updates, as well as a new foreword by Dr. Robert Coles, the James Agee Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard University, and introduction by renowned environmentalist, entrepreneur and author Paul Hawken.This edition also tracks the evolution of the Calcutta workshop and the birth and ongoing mission of Kids with Cameras. Included are synopses of new workshops in Haiti, Jerusalem and the pending Cairo project that are the extension of the legacy of the Calcutta project.Buy a book now! Purchase the bookKIDS WITH CAMERAS: THE BOOK 224 pages, 8" x 11", hardcover in full color throughout. $65 plus shipping and handling.All proceeds from book sales support Kids with Cameras in fulfilling its mission.