Born Into Brothels

I stumbled upon a used book/dvd sale at my local library today and came across the movie "Born Into Brothels." I had heard about this film before in one of my online searches but didn't know much information about it. As it was only $1.00 at the sale, I decided I couldn't pass it up. As soon as I returned home, I looked up the film online and now cannot wait to watch it.

Born Into Brothels was filmed within the Red Light District of Calcutta, India and released in 2004. Although the film was directed by Zana Briski, it was filmed largely in part by children living within the RLD themselves. Briski originally sought to film the lives of India's sex workers but found out that she would not be able to access their lives enough to portray a truthful image. As a result, she relocated to Calcutta to become a part of the residence there and met many children who had literally been born into the brothels by the sex workers. She forged relationships with these children, taught them basic photography skills, and gave them cameras so that they could film the inside world of the brothels that outsiders could not capture.

The result of was more than Briski had bargained for. Briski decided to use the children's new photography skills to give them a chance at a better life. The film gained so much attention worldwide that many of the children were able to escape the brothels and enter boarding schools where they received an education and a proper place to live. Unfortunately, some of the children weren't given permission by their guardians within the brothels to leave and were forced to return by the film's end.

I will give a full report with my own opinion as soon as I get a chance to pop this film into the DVD player! In the meantime, check out the project here.