Cinemascope: Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids

Cinemascope is a regular blog post where I will share with you movies and TV shows I think are worth watching.

Released in 2014.

Plot line: A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, BORN INTO BROTHELS is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in Calcutta's red light district, where there mothers work as prostitutes. Spurred by the kids' facination with her camera, Zana Briski, a New-York-based photographer living in the brothels and documenting life there, decides to teach them photography. As they begin to look at and record their world through new eyes, the kids, who society refused to recognize, awaken for the first time to their own talents and sense of worth. Filmmakers Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski capture the way in which beauty can be found even the seemingly bleakest and most helpless of places, and how art and education can empower children to transform their lives.

This is the second time I've watched this documentary. What I really love about it is that we hear the children's stories in their own words. Delightful and heartbreaking, this one continues to stay with me.

You can see the trailer here, or watch the entire documentary here. If you have yet to see it, this is a movie worth watching.