Stolen Childhoods
(86 minute) Brazil/Kenya/India/Indonesia/Mexico/USA
Directors: Leonard Morris and Robin Romano
Producer: Leonard Morris

Description:

Stolen Childhoods places children’s stories in the broader context of the worldwide struggle against child labor. The film provides an understanding of the causes of child labor, what it costs the global community, how it contributes to global insecurity, and what it will take to eliminate it. Shot in seven countries–Brazil, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nepal, and the United States–the film includes slave and bonded labor footage never seen before. It has framing interviews with US Senator Tom Harkin and includes human rights advocates for children such as Bruce Harris, Pharis Harvey, Inderjit Khurana and Wangari Mathai. In the words of the children we see the effects of public policy, poverty, prejudice, and multinational profit on the lives of our most helpless and exploited global work force. The film chronicles both stolen childhoods and the lucky former child laborers who can teach us how to create a more equitable world.

Biography:

A member of the Directors Guild of America, Leonard Morris has produced, directed, and edited television documentaries for twenty years. His programs have been syndicated and broadcast on ABC, NBC, HBO, TNT, PBS, and other cable and international networks. Len’s independent production company Galen Films has produced numerous award-winning documentaries, ranging from US-Russian-Ugandan production about solutions to hunger in Africa, Africa on the Move, to entertainment specials like Big Guns Talk: The Story of the Western for TNT, which won a CableAce for Best Cultural Programming. Recent projects include Voices from South Africa and A History of Philanthropy for the Carnegie Corporation; a history of the Hallmark company; and Forty Years of Passion, a history of regional theater in America for the Theatre Communications Group. Len is the recipient of an Independent Filmmaker 5 Award from the American Film Institute. He holds a MS in Broadcasting from Boston University.

Contact Information:

Galen Films, Inc.
8 State Road
P.O. Box 4219
Vineyard Haven, MA 02568
E-mail: galen@vineyard.net
http://www.stolenchildhoods.org