Protections For Farmworker Children Matter More Than Ever

Protections For Farmworker Children Matter More Than Ever

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Protections For Farmworker Children Matter More Than Ever

By Susan MacLaury, March 23, 2024  – In 2010, Shine Global released the feature-length documentary, The Harvest (La Cosecha), about three young migrant farmworkers – Zulema, Perla and Victor -who traveled across the US with their families harvesting several crops. They lived in substandard housing, worked without minimum wage protections, and routinely missed weeks of school which severely affected their academic performance.

The Harvest was Shine Global’s second film. Given the success of our first – War/Dance – I erroneously assumed that finding the funds to make it would be no problem. I was wrong. It wasn’t until actor/social activist Eva Longoria joined us as an Executive Producer of the film that we were able to complete it. Eva was already supporting the efforts of Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers with Cesar Chavez, and was a champion for farmworkers. Eva and her colleagues raised 80% of the film’s funding through generous donors.

She not only helped financially, but also joined us in DC to host a screening of the film for members of Congress where she supported passage of the Children’s Act for Responsible Employment in Agriculture (CARE) Act, authored by then representative Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA). The bill would have amended the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), significantly increasing protections for child farm workers by “bringing the age and work hour standards set under FLSA for all other forms of child labor.”  Rep. Roybal-Allard brought this bill to committee multiple times over the years but it never made it to the floor for a vote.

Reform was needed then. It is needed now.

Since 2015, US child labor violations have increased 300% and in the last 3 years alone instead of protecting children, 28 states have sought to roll back child labor laws. In response to this, Shine Global has joined more than 50 organizations in the Campaign to End US Child Labor to call for urgent reform to protect children from dangerous exploitation in the workplace.

Last week, Senator Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) has picked up the mantle and introduced the CARE Act of 2024 to increase  civil and criminal monetary penalties for violations and provide greater protection for workers of all ages to pesticide exposure. A similar House bill now has 45 co-sponsors. Please reach out to your legislators to let them know your opinion and urge them to protect children working in agriculture.  

Shine Global is proud to screen “The Harvest (La Cosecha)” for free online for National Farmworker Awareness Week, March 25-31. Audiences can register at this link to watch the film at any point during the week to learn more about the conditions for farmworker children and why they urgently need to be protected. Shine Global has created accompanying multi-disciplinary curriculum for grades 7-12 and community discussion guides that are free to download from our website: https://shineglobal.org/for-educators 

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories 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 our 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, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, and the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, which is currently in festivals.

Dounia – The Great White North Wins Shine Global’s Unstoppable Kids Prize at NYICFF

Dounia – The Great White North Wins Shine Global’s Unstoppable Kids Prize at NYICFF

News

Dounia – The Great White North Wins Shine Global’s Unstoppable Kids Prize at NYICFF

March 21, 2024 – Shine Global is thrilled to announce that “Dounia – The Great White North” has been honored with the Unstoppable Kids Prize co-presented with New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF). This new prize is given to a film that highlights the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity.  The winner of the Unstoppable Kids Prize is awarded $2,500 and an invitation to participate in Shine Global’s Resilience Awards events.

The animated film, directed by Marya Zarif and André Kadi, is a follow up to the 2022 film “Dounia and the Princess of Aleppo,” which follows a six-year-old Dounia as she journeys across Syria and around the world seeking asylum.  In “Dounia – The Great White North,” Dounia and her grandparents slowly get to know Canada, the new home that welcomed them.  As Dounia adjusts to the new land, language, and culture, she must also live with the trauma of war and the absence of her father.

“The film beautifully captures Dounia and her family’s resilience as they adjust to their new home as refugees, illustrating both the power of compassion and the importance of embracing differences,” said Alexandra Blaney, the Creative Director at Shine Global. “Dounia and her circle of friends and neighbors all exhibit an unstoppable spirit of optimism and joy. The film exemplifies our vision of a world in which children can thrive, and we are honored to present the Unstoppable Kids prize to “Dounia – The Great White North.”

Co-director Marya Zarif expressed her gratitude, stating, “Dounia is indeed an unstoppable kid with great spirit and a huge appetite for life. I dedicate this to all the little heroes who live under the bombs or under siege and despite all the horrors remain beautiful and inspiring.”

André Kadi, co-director, added, “Resilience is so much related to our film’s subject; it’s very touching to be awarded the Unstoppable Kids Prize. Heartfelt thanks to NYICFF and to Shine Global.”

Producer Judith Beauregard also added praise for Rahaf Ataya, who voices the main character of the film, Dounia. “Rahaf was able to breathe freshness and candor into the endearing character of Dounia. Rahaf and her family fled Syria in 2016 and came to Canada as refugees. Rahaf is now a Canadian citizen and studies in Montreal. She is a perfect example of resilience, as is Dounia”

“Dounia – The Great White North” is a poignant reminder of the resilience and strength found within children, inspiring audiences worldwide.

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories 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 our 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, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, and the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, which is currently in festivals.

ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL’S RESILIENCE AWARDS

This annual event recognizes and celebrates the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity. The awards are open to films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges, such as poverty, violence, illness, and discrimination, and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination.

About NYICFF

Established in 1997, NYICFF’s mission is rooted in the belief of film as a path for young people to understand themselves and others. All programs are designed to celebrate the beauty and power of film, spark the inherent capacity of children to connect with complex, nuanced art, and encourage the creation of intelligent films that represent and celebrate unique, diverse, and historically excluded voices. NYICFF serves children, students, families, educators, filmmakers, and media arts professionals through its core activities: the annual, Oscar®-qualifying NYC film festival and national touring program; Film-Ed, a media arts and literacy program; and year-round special events.  https://nyicff.org/

Shine Global and New York International Children’s Film Festival Announce Partnership for Unstoppable Kids Prize for the 2024 Festival and Shine Global Resilience Awards

Shine Global and New York International Children’s Film Festival Announce Partnership for Unstoppable Kids Prize for the 2024 Festival and Shine Global Resilience Awards

News

Shine Global and New York International Children’s Film Festival Announce Partnership for Unstoppable Kids Prize for the 2024 Festival and Shine Global Resilience Awards

March 14, 2024, New York, NY – Shine Global and the New York International Children’s Film Festival today announced the launch of a new partnership that establishes a prize for filmmakers participating in the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF) to participate in Shine Global’s annual Resilience Awards, beginning in 2024.

This collaboration establishes a special prize for filmmakers participating in the New York International Children’s Film Festival, opening doors for them to be recognized and celebrated through Shine Global’s prestigious Resilience Awards. An award of $2,500 will be granted to the winning film in a new filmmaking category focused on children’s resilience for films intended to be viewed by youth audiences. The winner will be invited to participate in Shine Global’s 2024’s Resilience Awards events, which recognize and celebrate the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity.

Ringing in its 27th year, NYICFF is North America’s largest and most prestigious film festival for young audiences. The 2024 festival runs March 2 through 17 at venues throughout New York City and features nearly 100 short and feature films from 23 countries. Since its founding, NYICFF, an Oscar®-qualifying festival for short film, and its conscious curation has become known for presenting the best work from around the world for young people—even if they were not made with young people in mind.

Shine Global’s annual Resilience Awards honor exceptional films that center around the resilience of children. It aims to shed light on the countless stories of courage, strength, and determination that children demonstrate in challenging circumstances. These films not only inspire audiences but also help create awareness and promote positive change in society. Past winners include the feature documentaries Lift (2022, Directed by David Petersen) and Name Me Lawand (2023, Directed by Edward Lovelace) and the short documentary Ayenda (2023, directed by Marie Margolius).

“At Shine Global, we believe in the power of storytelling to inspire change and create a positive impact on young minds,” said Shine Global Co-Founder and Executive Director Susan MacLaury. “Our new partnership with the New York International Children’s Film Festival not only strengthens our commitment to supporting and recognizing talented filmmakers dedicated like us to improving children’s lives, but also to telling compelling stories for young audiences. We’re thrilled to provide a unique platform for filmmakers to showcase their work by being a part of our annual Resilience Awards.”

“So many of the films we screen naturally feature the strength of young people meeting and conquering challenges; our goal is always to help our audience recognize their own power and potential reflected on screen,” said NYICFF Director of Programming Maria-Christina Villaseñor. “We are thrilled and grateful to be able to further recognize the filmmakers behind these intrepid stories through a partnership with Shine Global and the Resilience Awards.”

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About Shine Global

Shine Global is a non-profit media company that improves the lives of children by telling powerful stories 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 our 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, Through Our Eyes: Homefront which is available on HBOMax, and the Ariel Award winner Home Is Somewhere Else, which is currently in festivals.

ABOUT SHINE GLOBAL’S RESILIENCE AWARDS

This annual event recognizes and celebrates the films and filmmakers that highlight the resilience and strength of children in the face of adversity. The awards are open to films of any genre that showcase children overcoming challenges, such as poverty, violence, illness, and discrimination, and demonstrate their resilience, courage, and determination.

About NYICFF

Established in 1997, NYICFF’s mission is rooted in the belief of film as a path for young people to understand themselves and others. All programs are designed to celebrate the beauty and power of film, spark the inherent capacity of children to connect with complex, nuanced art, and encourage the creation of intelligent films that represent and celebrate unique, diverse, and historically excluded voices. NYICFF serves children, students, families, educators, filmmakers, and media arts professionals through its core activities: the annual, Oscar®-qualifying NYC film festival and national touring program; Film-Ed, a media arts and literacy program; and year-round special events.  https://nyicff.org/