Australian filmmaker Genevieve Bailey travelled the world for six years talking with 11-year-olds to compose this insightful, funny and moving documentary portrait of childhood. From an orphanage in India, to a single-parent household in inner-city Melbourne, to bathing with elephants in Thailand, I AM ELEVEN explores the lives and thoughts of children from 15 countries. I AM ELEVEN weaves together deeply personal and at times hilarious portraits of what it means to sit at this transitional age. These young minds provide us with a powerful insight into the future of our world.
These children share their thoughts on a range of subjects such as love, war, global warming, music, terrorism, culture, family, happiness, religion and the future. Each of their situations allows a single glimpse into a young mind, and combine to provide a powerful insight into the future of our world. As straight up and personal as the ’7 Up’ series, and with the comedy and honesty of ‘Spellbound’, this documentary enables us to explore an age where these ‘not quite kids, not quite teenagers’ briefly linger, between the frank openness and sometimes naivety of childhood, and the sharp and surprisingly brave wisdom and knowing of adulthood. As much as it is a story about them, it is a story with them, of what it is like to be eleven today.
This is an amazing film. I am not quite sure what I was expecting but this wasn’t it. I have five children and only the youngest is still younger than eleven and yes it is an amazing age. After watching the film, I definitely long to be eleven again. The film brings to our door so much diversity and so many different situations and perspectives of children at this beautiful age. They have strong thoughts, opinions and beliefs. They are still children – yet will not be much longer. The world will look very different for them in a year or so and in most cases they seem to be very aware of that upcoming change. This would be a great film for schools to show to children in this age group. There is an entire world beyond their front door and the lives of an eleven year old are not universally fun and play.
I AM ELEVEN
In US Theaters Starting
September 12, 2014!
NEW YORK FROM SEPTEMBER 12
The Village East New York
AMC Empire 25 New York
LOS ANGELES FROM SEPTEMBER 19
Laemmle Royal Los Angeles
Laemmle Playhouse 7 Pasadena
AMC Burbank 8 Burbank
AMC Orange 30 Orange
AMC Rolling Hills 20 Torrance
SAN FRANCISCO FROM SEPTEMBER 26
AMC Metreon 16 San Francisco
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