San Francisco, California Mar 20, 2019 (Issuewire.com) - San Francisco-based film company 13th Gen has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $60,000+ to finish principal cinematography on its latest documentary-in-production, THE G WORD, directed and produced by multi-award winning independent filmmaker Marc Smolowitz, and produced by philanthropist Ron Turiello.
Defying popular myths that assume most gifted people are wealthy, white, and will do fine on their own, THE G WORD reveals the economic, cultural and gender diversity of our nation’s gifted and talented population at every stage of life, highlighting their educational challenges, social isolation, and deep emotional sensitivities. It puts a face to the physical threats experienced by many in our schools and society-at-large. It also reveals a large and lively community of people around them working hard to meet their needs while challenging the prejudice that comes with being labeled “smart” in the 21st century.
“When most people hear the word gifted, they see the faces of affluent and successful white men, people like Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg, and Steve Jobs,” said Smolowitz. “THE G WORD contemplates the idea that giftedness looks, sounds, behaves, and reacts much differently.” He added, “THE G WORD looks at giftedness through the lens of identity - through a race, through gender, through sex, and through geography. Or, what I largely refer to as zip code, which tells us that where you’ve grown up largely informs the kinds of educational opportunities you’ve had access to.”
The idea for THE G WORD came about in 2013 when philanthropist Ron Turiello (a past supporter of Smolowitz’s work and now a producer on the project) reached out to Smolowitz about his interest in telling stories about giftedness. Both men are products of gifted education inside public schools of the 1970s, and they were quickly in full agreement about the national importance of this story. Additionally, Turiello’s involvement with THE G WORD dovetails with his philanthropic support for educational equity and social justice efforts. He currently serves on Boards of Directors and Advisory Boards for various nonprofits including, ScholarMatch, founded by the novelist Dave Eggers, and Helios New School, an independent school for gifted learners.
To date, THE G WORD team has interviewed dozens of experts and thought leaders in the fields of giftedness education and intelligence studies including Linda Silverman, Scott Barry Kaufman, Joy Lawson Davis, Susan Baum, Joseph Renzulli, and many more. Other notable interviewees include CNN commentator Van Jones, U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and renowned author Andrew Solomon.
THE G WORD Kickstarter campaign runs now through to April 28th. During the arc of this 40-day fundraiser, THE G WORD team will release two newly produced stories that take you to spaces and places where you wouldn't expect to encounter giftedness. The first story is about San Luis, a community located right up against the USA/Mexico border, and the little-known Gadsen School District, which resides in the second poorest zip code in Arizona. For a host of powerful and under-reported reasons, this predominantly migrant, Latino, and Spanish speaking district is ranked as one of the top ten school districts in the world when it comes to academic performance. Set in the Greater Baltimore area, the second story focuses on Black Intelligence and Black Giftedness. THE G WORD team travels through time to show how racism, poverty, and inequity continue to play out in startling ways for young, black gifted kids in our major urban centers, in spite of education programs that try to meet their needs.
THE G WORD wraps principal cinematography this summer with plans to be in post-production this fall aiming at 2020 completion. Visit https://thegwordfilm.com/kickstarter to learn more about THE G WORD Kickstarter campaign and to become a backer.
All donations are tax deductible through the Center for Independent Documentary (501c3).
ABOUT 13TH GEN: 13th Gen is the San Francisco-based company of multi-award winning independent filmmaker Marc Smolowitz. An entrepreneurial boutique company, our slate typically includes some 10-15 high-quality projects -- fiction, nonfiction, and episodic -- all at different stages. We work with a dynamic range of global independent film partners to oversee the financing, production, post-production, marketing, sales, and distribution efforts of a vibrant portfolio of films and filmmakers. 13th Gen believes strongly in the power and potential of beautifully produced social issue films to speak to every generation.
Media Contact
Danielle Holke pr@13thgen.co 347-616-0434 https://13thgenfilm.com
