Director, Narrator Cinematographer: María Ceballos Paz

Executive Producer: Holly Carter

Producer: Susan Hoenig

DESCRIPTION

María Ceballos Paz, a 16-year-old Colombian girl, has been living in displacement for the past nine years as a result of Colombia’s civil war. Decades of fighting between the army, paramilitary, guerrilla groups and drug cartels has forced approximately four million Colombians from their homes, creating the largest internally displaced population in the world. After her father was killed by guerrillas, María and her family fled their farm. Now living in the slums of Cali, María shows us her family, friends and community as they rebuild their lives. María directed, filmed and narrated this award-winning documentary that puts a human face on the statistics of displacement. Her story is like those of millions of people facing similar upheaval, not only in Colombia, but in other war-torn countries around the world.

mentor’s note

Susan Hoenig served as a Film Mentor to María Ceballos Paz. With Susan’s mentoring, María puts a human face on the cost of civil war and the drug trade. Among Hollywood’s top TV producers, Susan has produced shows for Discovery, National Geographic, Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS. She received an Emmy nomination for Undercover Boss.

“I am truly excited to be a part of a project that provides a forum for children to tell their own stories, stories that are often the most genuine yet often misinterpreted or never even heard. By giving them the tools to create their own documentaries, these stories can finally be told from their perspective, a point of view that will hopefully strike a chord with others in similar situations throughout the world. By enabling such storytelling, BYkids will work to bridge cultural gaps, as well as help illustrate the universality of the human condition. At a time when people tend to focus on our differences as opposed to our similarities, such a contribution is invaluable,” says Susan.

The film has screened at countless films festivals including the Global Girls Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival, Chicago International Children’s Film Festival, MY HERO, Corto Circuito Film Festival, SUNY Global, Indianapolis International Film Festival, Athens International Film and Video Festival and the San Diego Latin Film Festival.

Malala invited María to join her for a day in Mexico City and María’s story became a chapter in Malala’s book about displacement.