Shine Global’s Susan MacLaury with Jorge Villalobos, Co-Director of Home Is Somewhere Else and Evelyn DeJesus, AFT’s Executive Vice President at the AFT 2022 Convention in Boston

By Susan MacLaury

Those of you familiar with Shine Global’s work know that we put a great deal of emphasis on our films’ educational and social engagement. We do this in acknowledgement of kids’ inherent desire to contribute to their communities; the fact that young teens relate to the kids in our films sharing their stories in their own words, and our understanding that the classroom environment— in the hands of caring, competent teachers— gives students the chance to explore their world safely.

So, it was with excitement and pride that Shine Global and Brinca Taller de Animación, the Mexican animation company that produced Home Is Somewhere Else, jointly presented a workshop this past Saturday, 7/16, to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) annual convention in Boston. Co-Director Jorge Villalobos flew in from Mexico and Shine Global co-founder Albie Hecht and I drove up from New Jersey to co-present a screening of the film’s trailer and one of its three chapters: “A Tale of Two Sisters,” about two sisters separated because of existing immigration laws. Most excitingly, the real Evelyn herself joined by zoom and was interviewed by Evelyn DeJesus, AFT’s Executive Vice President, who moderated our panel discussion.

The session was attended by nearly 100 persons and – as always with teachers – the attendees were wonderfully responsive, asking terrific questions and making salient observations.

We are currently writing the film’s standards-based companion curriculum and a general audience discussion guide, and, as always, we will seek feedback from experts – including Latino policy makers, administrators and educators—to ensure it is culturally sensitive and accurate. Once completed, the curriculum will be made available for free on Shine Global’s website for all educators wishing to use it when they screen this film for their students in 2022-23 and beyond.

Special thanks to D&P Creative Strategies and Cesar Moreno Perez, AFT’s Associate Director of Human Rights and Community Relations Department for working so hard to make this possible.

About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that gives voice to children and their families by telling their stories of resilience to raise awareness, promote action, and inspire change. We produce inspiring films and compelling content about underserved children. Through tailored distribution and outreach, we connect with our audiences in communities, classrooms, museums, and on Capitol Hill as part of a powerful engagement campaign to encourage social change.

Since its founding in 2005, Shine Global films have won more than 100 major awards, including an Academy Award® for Best Documentary Short Subject for Inocente and an Academy Award®-nomination and two Emmys® for War/Dance. Recent films include the documentary-animation hybrid Liyana, the hit documentary The Eagle Huntress, and Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax.

About Brinca Taller de Animación

Brinca Taller de Animación is a Mexican animation studio that has ten years experience making animated films and series that focus mainly on children and social issues. We strongly believe animation is a powerful language that allows difficult topics to engage with the audience and inspire change. We have worked for agencies like UNICEF, United Nations Development Programme, Mexican Commission for the Defense and Promotion of Human Rights, American Jewish World Service, International Federation of Human Rights, among others.

Home Is Somewhere Else is Brinca’s first animated feature .