28 November 2013
Many people seem to forget the fact that going to school for many children around the world remains a privilege, says Pascal Plisson, director of the movie On the Way to School, which is being screened at Ajyal Youth Film Festival. The documentary observes the lives of four students from Morocco, Kenya, India and Argentina, who overcome enormous distances and at times dangerous obstacles on their journey to the classroom. Plisson told Gulf Times that the idea of the film was born in Kenya, where he had lived for a long time and did wildlife movies.
"I'm actually a wildlife filmmaker and specialised in filming lions, elephants and other beautiful animals. (During my filmmaking experiences,) I would always see these children going to school wearing small uniforms, sometimes with no shoes. I always saw these children on their way to school (and hence the title of his movie)." He said one day he met some youth from the Kenyan Masai warrior clan, the youngest of whom was about nine years old. The children said they wanted to get education and lead a better life. They said they spoke with their clan members, who supported them in their endeavours. "The problem was that the school was very far. It took them three hours on foot to reach their school.
They walked under the 40-degree sun to reach their school. This inspired me to make a movie about children and their pursuit of a better life through education despite the hardships they faced," he said. He said it was amazing how children knew from a very young age that they needed to get education to lead a better life than what their parents experienced, who never went to school. "I wanted to show to the world the stories of these children, who forget that for many people, going to school is still a privilege," Plisson said. His film is already a big success in Paris. "I hope this film is able to motivate people around the world to help children get education and do something for them by building schools and getting them better teachers," he added.
Many people seem to forget the fact that going to school for many children around the world remains a privilege, says Pascal Plisson, director of the movie On the Way to School, which is being screened at Ajyal Youth Film Festival. The documentary observes the lives of four students from Morocco, Kenya, India and Argentina, who overcome enormous distances and at times dangerous obstacles on their journey to the classroom. Plisson told Gulf Times that the idea of the film was born in Kenya, where he had lived for a long time and did wildlife movies.
"I'm actually a wildlife filmmaker and specialised in filming lions, elephants and other beautiful animals. (During my filmmaking experiences,) I would always see these children going to school wearing small uniforms, sometimes with no shoes. I always saw these children on their way to school (and hence the title of his movie)." He said one day he met some youth from the Kenyan Masai warrior clan, the youngest of whom was about nine years old. The children said they wanted to get education and lead a better life. They said they spoke with their clan members, who supported them in their endeavours. "The problem was that the school was very far. It took them three hours on foot to reach their school.
They walked under the 40-degree sun to reach their school. This inspired me to make a movie about children and their pursuit of a better life through education despite the hardships they faced," he said. He said it was amazing how children knew from a very young age that they needed to get education to lead a better life than what their parents experienced, who never went to school. "I wanted to show to the world the stories of these children, who forget that for many people, going to school is still a privilege," Plisson said. His film is already a big success in Paris. "I hope this film is able to motivate people around the world to help children get education and do something for them by building schools and getting them better teachers," he added.
© Gulf Times 2013
