I Am Eleven Interview

I AM ELEVEN weaves together deeply personal and at times hilarious portraits of what it means to sit at this transitional age. These young minds provide us with a powerful insight into the future of our world. I AM ELEVEN, directed by Genevieve Bailey, is being distributed in the United States by International Film Circuit. It opens in select theaters in September and will expand throughout the fall. I had a chance to interview the director to learn more.

What was the inspiration behind the film?

When I was 23, I started working in the newsroom of a major newspaper in Melbourne, Australia. On my very first day on the job, I was confronted by images of devastation and loss. 
The Boxing Day tsunami had just hit, killing over 200,000 people across Asia. 
A year later, I took time off work to go overseas for the very first time. I didn’t want to lie on a beach somewhere; I wanted to shoot a film in every country I went to.  I had recently been in a serious car accident, my dad had passed away from cancer, and I was depressed.  I wanted to make something energetic, optimistic, universal and real. 
I thought back to my favorite age in life and why I loved it so much. When the world feels big in a good way, and at our feet. 
For me, that was when I was 11. 
With so much more information available at their fingertips now than when I was young. 
I wondered, are they still happy and excited about inheriting this crazy world?  Are they still having as much fun as I did when I was 11?


How did you choose the children featured?

I decided very early on in the filming process that the easiest way to find 11year olds in foreign cities would be to go through schools. But I also thought that teachers would perhaps nominate the student with the highest grades, or acting experience. I wanted the selection process to be more organic and so I would hit the streets, go to markets, speak to locals and find children in all sorts of random ways. It was an exciting and at times challenging way to produce a film but I am so thrilled with the children I found and the weird and wonderful ways we met. I gave myself 3 rules; they had to be 11, they had to want to be in the film (not all children in the media are the ones choosing to be in front of cameras and I never wanted any of the children to be pressured in to participating) and their parent or guardian had to give consent. Other than that I was open to any child from any background.

What was the most surprising discovery you made?

The 6-year shooting period was one giant surprise in many ways! Making my first film, traveling overseas for the first time, enjoying being out of my comfort zone, they were all great challenges that I embraced and found thrilling. I think each child surprised me in various ways but the biggest surprise is how huge a contribution each child has now made to my life because I AM ELEVEN has inspired and provided me endless insight not only in to our world but also our future. The audience response has also been overwhelmingly positive and it has surprised many to see so many people connect with a very DIY and low budget documentary. We played for a record 26 weeks in theaters in Melbourne Australia and it is a dream come true to know that every day thousands of people are meeting these darlings for the first time.  I love them all like a proud auntie. Hence our company name is Proud Mother Pictures. Films are like our babies we make them and raise them and send them out in to the world and hope they have a great life and are warmly received and embraced by others.

We have also been surprised by the wonderful stories shared through our audience community who have been photographed and featured here www.wheniwaseleven.com

People from all over the world have been invited to share their story and we would love to open the invite up to your readers as we would be happy to feature you and them too!

What implications do you think your film has for parents of adolescents?

One mother approached me after a screening there and said “It’s like a parenting book written by children.”

I love this feedback; it has really stuck with me. What an amazing thing to think, that the children in the film can be inspiring and providing insights to parents. So often it is adults who are the ones telling other adults how to and not to parent. I AM ELEVEN is a refreshing way of learning through the eyes of children. The mother who shared this feedback had driven over 3 hours from a small time to reach the city with her 11-year-old son to view the film together. That was a special day for us. Since then we have seen thousands of parents attend the theater with their children, and there is always plenty of discussion afterwards. Many parents and children write us kind messages explaining how the film has touched them and influenced not only their view of their own self, but also their views on the world and the important of childhood, respect, self-expression and cultural exchange. Many parents thank us for providing an entertaining and fun way to open their child’s eyes to the wider world. The film helps children (and adults) learn about perspective and their position of privilege. A lot of the time it is hard to gain an understanding of how others live without being didactic or overly informative (and boring). But I AM ELEVEN engages audiences because the children are so honest, at time hilarious, and hopeful.

We had one mother come up to us after a post screening Q&A and she said ‘I cannot believe my daughter just put her hand up and asked you a question in front of over 300 people!’ I asked why not, her question was so great.

And she replied ‘Because she doesn’t even talk at the dinner table!’

I am thrilled the film not only gives a voice to these children featured on screen, but in turn it inspires other kids to realise that they have a voice that matters too.

We also had a gorgeous teenage boy say “ That was really cool because it was the first time I have seen films with REAL actors!”