PBS Premiere: September 12, 2006
Synopsis
Devon, Montrey, Richard, and Romesh are just at that age — 12 and 13 years old — when boys start to become men. But in their hometown of Baltimore, one of the country’s most poverty-stricken cities for inner-city residents, African-American boys have a very high chance of being incarcerated or killed before they reach adulthood. The boys are offered an amazing opportunity in the form of the Baraka school, a project founded to break the cycle of violence through an innovative education program that literally removed young boys from low-performing public schools and unstable home environments. They travel with their classmates to rural Kenya in East Africa, where a teacher-student ratio of one to five, a strict disciplinary program and a comprehensive curriculum form the core of their new educational program. The Boys of Baraka follows along with their journey, and examines each boy’s transformation during this remarkable time. Winner of awards at the Newport, Chicago, Woodstock and SILVERDOCS Film Festivals. A co-presentation with the Independent Television Service (ITVS). Produced in association with P.O.V./American Documentary.
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Film Information
The Boys of Baraka
Premiere Date: September 12, 2006
Photos: Download here
Trailer: Link
Filmmakers: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady Bio | Interview | Statement
Press: Press Release
Filmmakers
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Film Update
February 22, 2010
Critical Acclaim
In a city plagued by poverty where African-American boys are left behind more often than other children, a film documenting the unusual education of four has inspired the mayor to seek solutions to Baltimore's educational problems.”
— Emma Daly
The New York Times
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