Movies You Made: “Child 31”

March is Movies You Made month at Go Into The Story where we feature the work of some independent filmmakers.

Today: Child 31.

Production notes from writer-producer-editor Michael Campo:

What has Gerard Butler, Celine Dion and Piers Morgan so excited? A new film released this month on YouTube entitled, CHILD 31.

The documentary follows the organization, Mary’s Meals — a non-profit agency that feeds more than 800,000 children every day through the incentive of education. The film is different than traditional infomercials or PSAs seeking donations. Instead, the documentary takes an in-depth look into the inspiring story of how anyone can make a difference in a child’s life.

“Thousands of children die of starvation every day, and millions of children are out of school because of poverty,” explains Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, the founder of Mary’s Meals, based in Scotland. “I think that’s crazy. I think that’s insane.”

After being uploaded to YouTube earlier this month, the film continues to garner the support of celebrities from all walks of life. Piers Morgan is tweeting about it (click here). So is Gerard Butler (click here).

Celine Dion was so moved by the film, she posted a short message on YouTube praising its humanitarian impact on the lives of thousands of children. You can watch her YouTube video here.

CHILD 31 was filmed and produced by an independent film company from Brooklyn, New York, called Grassroots Films Inc. If anyone understands the challenges and hardships of life, it’s the young filmmakers who make up Grassroots Films. These talented artists began their journeys when they met several years ago at a half-way house. It was there, they decided to use their own personal battles as a catalyst to create a company to produce films that not only entertain and enlighten, but also inspire people to act.

“Everyone struggles,” said Michael Campo, producer and co-owner of Grassroots. “We want to give people a platform to tell their stories, so that others will join the cause in making the world a better place.”

Grassroots Films is no stranger to humanitarian projects. The company’s first feature documentary entitled, The Human Experience received over 30 awards and accolades. The film is available on Netflix, iTunes & Amazon.

Here is the half-hour documentary Child 31:

I asked each of the filmmakers in this month’s series to answer this question: What inspired you about this particular story to make it a movie? Here is Michael’s answer:

We were inspired to tell this story because Mary’s Meals is an organization that is feeding over 800,000+ children every day through the context of education. When we were approached by the organization we were surprised to learn that the founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow works from a shed in Scotland. Magnus is a special person who truly believes through this method that he can eliminate world hunger, and after spending some time with him, and creating this film we believe him too.

The Grassroots Film website is here.

Twitter: @MichaelCampo.

Drop by Comments to give some feedback on Child 31.

Tomorrow: Another Movie You Made.

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