I Am Eleven director Genevieve Bailey with one of the subjects of her film, Jamira. Photo: Teagan GlenaneI am Eleven, by Melbourne filmmaker Genevieve Bailey, takes a look at the lives of 11-year-olds the world over - Australia, Thailand, Morocco, the US, India, Europe and Japan - to find out what makes them tick. The surprising answer is, according to Bailey, a real passion for the issues of our age.
"I think people will be shocked when they see how articulate and frank and passionate a lot of the kids are about universal themes - anything from politics to the environment to love ...
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"People will be energised by it. It's an optimistic film that also touches on more serious issues. It's a tough age where kids are full of ideas and personality and opinions and they're not afraid to express them."Jack, from Thailand, gave his thoughts on Islam in the film. "We shouldn't think that all Muslims are terrorists," he said. "I spent some time in Saudi Arabia and I loved it. There were some really strict laws on women's rights - if you had a woman in your group in a restaurant you'd have to sit in the family section - but in the end I thought it was a pretty nice place."
Jamira, from Australia, is interviewed about her background and fondness for stargazing. "I am proud to be Aboriginal because my culture's very interesting to me," she said. "Me and my da, we look up at the stars at night-time and my dad goes what do you think about that place? I think there would be aliens or other people like us living on another planet thinking about the same thing that that we're thinking." "I am not a citizen of France, I am a citizen of the world," said Remi, from France."I've always dreamt that there are no borders, that the world is just one country. That way there would be no more inequalities."
Bailey said she was partly inspired by Seven Up, which has tracked the lives of 14 British youths at seven-year intervals from 1964.
"I grew up watching Seven Up with my family and we used to quote it at the dinner table and all have our favourite kids on it. I definitely loved it but it was so British, and although I loved that it was British ... I wanted to make my film on a global scale, not just in Australia."
In all, 23 11-year-olds appear in the entirely self-funded film, which Bailey began in 2005. "I wanted to study an age, and I thought back to my favourite age in life and it was when I was 11," said Bailey, 30. "I wondered whether, given how the world is today with technology and the internet ... 11 is still the special age that I remembered it to be."
Strictly speaking, the film is not just about 11-year-olds. Because of the lengthy production time, there's a mini Seven Up progession within the film. "I started in 2005 so a lot of the kids aren't 11any more. I've actually gone back and revisited a lot of them."
MIFF has schedule an extra screening of I am Eleven for Sunday 7 August, 11:00am at Greater Union. The film will also show at Palace Cinemas in North Brighton on August 18.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/movies/the-world-through-an-11yearolds-eyes-20110804-1idon.html#ixzz1U80S0JyR
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