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OTHER KWC WORKSHOPS:OTHER WORKSHOPS: |
In Calcutta, there are over 7,000 women and girls who live and work as prostitutes. In 1997, New York-based photographer Zana Briski went to Calcutta to photograph the prostitutes, penetrating through the web of brothel owners, pimps, police, local politicians and organized crime syndicates to better understand their lives. While she was living in the brothels she developed relationships with a group more stigmatized than the women: their children. Spurred by their fascination with her camera, Zana began to teach them photography, and to see the world through their eyes. From 2000 to 2003, she conducted weekly workshops and taught them camera basics, lighting, composition, the development of point-of-view, editing, and sequencing for narrative. The goal of the project was to provide a safe place for the kids to be themselves, learn, have fun, and in the process, come to believe in their own self-worth. She watched in wonder as the children came back with vibrant self-portraits, family pictures, and street scenes that offered stunning tableaus of Bengali life. Zana and filmmaker Ross Kauffman documented the children and their stories in the film "Born into Brothels," which went on to win over 25 major awards, including the 2005 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Through the film, audiences all over the world learned of and fell in love with the spirited and resilient young photographers. They witnessed how art and education can empower children growing up in difficult circumstances to transform their lives. Zana founded Kids with Cameras in 2002 to raise money and awareness for the children through print sales, exhibitions, film festivals and a book of their work. The children's images have been exhibited in Calcutta, Europe and all over the U.S. A book of their photos was published in 2004. In order to help more children from Calcutta's red-light district, we have also been raising money to develop a safe home specifically for the children of prostitutes to provide an opportunity for them to learn, thrive and lead future generations. An educational curriculum based on the film has also been created to reach out to students and teachers across the U.S. and around the world. Kids with Cameras has since sent other committed and passionate photographers to teach photography to children growing up in areas of poverty, abuse or conflict. We have developed workshops for Palestinian and Isreali children in Jerusalem, child domestic workers in Haiti and the garbage collecting community in Cairo. |
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