I was just reading through some of the posts in the family protection tag and I have to tell you, they're a lot of similar stories... services come in, kids taken, million arbritary hoops that you have to jump through just to find out the kids are ok.
That's depressing.
I did come across a post that caught my attention because of the notion of getting the word out... which in my opinion does take more than court and the press. Mostly because when one story is done it's just onto another case.
What needs to happen is a major change from the top down, the law makers have to become involved and start making changes. They literally have to bring in protections to protect the kids from the people that represent the government.
My proposition... and this is based solely on my life in film and writing... make films or documentaries about it.
I've been pitching an idea around that hasn't been accepted for funding anywhere, mostly because compitition is fierce and hard to get going.
I can't use my own money right because i'm involved with court cases I've brought against my government so all my funds go to my legal fees.
But my idea and I will be pushing it... I hate the idea that when people age out of the system they no longer have any support.
No school, no training for work. Nothing.
So my short film idea is about an 17 yr old two days from her birthday who's visiting her rep for help. She knows that there's nothing for her but goes anyway.
While there she meets an eleven year old scared becauses she's been taken from her parents; so the rep asks the main character to make her feel safe by telling the kid how great the program is.
The conflict is what she should do... be honest or lie to the kid to make the kid feel safe.
It's a simple short but I hope to make it one day.
It's the first steps to a feature movie idea I have... we've had a few suicided Her in British Columbia of kids that were about to age out of the system.
Knowing that once they're out they having nothing, so depressed these kids are jumping out of hotel rooms. It's a sick system.
But a film could bring attention to it, force the politicians to change the laws.
That's the hope.
