West Hollywood, California (Monday, November 10, 2008) Patrick Davidson’s important new film The World We Want gives hope for the future through the efforts of our youth.
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Unburdened by fear of authority, the documentary follows teens throughout the world as they attempt to improve their lives and the lives of those around them.
The film takes place in Colombia, India, Jordan, Russia, Senegal, The United States, Indonesia and Bosnia-Herzegovina in a brisk, edgy, modernist take that keeps the viewer totally absorbed throughout this compelling story.
Film follows We The People: Project Citizen as it stages an international competition for young people ages 11-16.
The film was fully privately financed, though Project Citizen itself is administrated through the U.S. Department of Education to help in education projects throughout the world.
It’s hard not to fall for these dynamic kids and the journey they each undergo to fulfill their dream of improving their lives.
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Each country’s team of competitors picks the most urgent problem affecting their community.
In India, the children decide to help save a monument, a tomb to a Delhi rajah that is in disrepair and surrounded by a slum. The teens clean and restore the area, instilling pride in the community.
Other teams fare equally well and all have a degree of success in their endeavors. The Russian children fight bureaucracy and help to eliminate gambling dens that have taken over Samara, their city. They are so successful they help influence a law to control gambling in all of Russia.
The Colombian children write an actual constitution for their village of Alejandria, troubled by assassination squads and drug dealers. The constitution is adapted throughout villages in Colombia.
Most compelling of all is the story of the Senegalese children who work to bring potable water to their village, promised yet much delayed by the largely ineffectual government.
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To see the power of these teens at work, to realize their impact and influence over entrenched local government is awe inspiring and makes for a very special film indeed.
Not until the end of the film do we realize that Project Citizen itself is immensely pervasive, in every state of the union and throughout the world, much more than the thirty countries represented in the competition.
There’s talk of The World We Want transforming into an ongoing television series, covering different groups each season through their noble efforts.
This would be a worthy effort that would have worldwide interest and bring hope and inspiration to citizens in every country, helping us to all realize we are all in this together, and our differences are far less important than our common sharing and cooperation might suggest.
After seeing The World We Want, it’s clear as glass that we need to respect each other-regardless of age or circumstance.
With the dedicated, thoughtful work of director Patrick Davidson, the world in fact does become a smaller place.
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