Despite it not being available to purchase until Spring 2011, I am featuring a DVD of a documentary that has captured the essence of small acts making a huge impact. I've now seen it twice and am making it a personal mission to encourage everyone I know to see the film!
A Small Act focuses on the Hilde Back Educational Fund, which provides secondary school scholarships to youth in Kenya (pictured above, awaiting their test results via text- side thought: why don't we use text results here in the US?!). The heart of the story is the background behind this fund, chronicling the difference a Swedish woman (Hilde Back) made in the life of Chris Mburu, who was sponsored throughout secondary school and eventually went on to Harvard Law and currently works for the United Nations. I had the pleasure of attending a screening of the film where producers Jennifer Arnold and Patti Lee participated in a Q & A session following the film. Interesting facts that they shared included the fact that the film's original purpose was to showcase middle-class Kenyans, and provide a perspective other than the "starving children" and "violence" often associated with Africa. Additionally, it was filmed in three countries over four months WITHOUT lights by Patti Lee. Lack of electricty in the village where it was filmed in Kenya did not allow for the full use of equipment generally associated with a film.
What I was most struck by was the genuineness of the producers and the obviously close relationships they have maintained with the younger stars of the film, two of whom they are personally sponsoring through primary school. I always anticipate the "update" at the end of a documentary on the individuals featured, and A Small Act does not dissapoint on that end. The producers were able to update us even further on how the youth were doing in their final year of primary school, and humourously shared that Kimani, the male youth from the village featured in the film, has joined "The Facebook" as he calls it and is wondering what he is supposed to do now with "The Facebook". One of many touching moments since the release of the film the producers shared was when the film played at Sundance and audience members began giving cash and checks immediately after the screening to Chris Mburu for the Hilde Back Fund. To date hundreds of thousands of dollars have now been donated, allowing the Hilde Back Fund to not only expand educational scholarships but also to provide counseling and heathcare for all scholarship recepients as well.
Hope I didn't give away too much information since you all need to SEE THIS FILM soon! But I leave you with my favorite quotes from the film:
It wasn't much, it was a drop in the ocean... When you do one kind thing it ripples-Hilde Back
More information available on Asmallact.com; join the mailing list for updates on when the DVD will be released
