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KNOW HOW
Timed with National Foster Care Month
New Film Written and Performed by Foster Care Youth
Opens May 15 in New York at Cinema Village
Opens May 15 in
Los Angeles at Laemmle Music Hall Premieres nationally on Pivot TV May 27
 KNOW HOW, an award-winning film written by and starring young people in New York City's foster care system, will open in select theaters on May 15 and will premiere nationally on Participant Media's television network, Pivot, on May 27, at 11PM EST.
The film, which was produced by the New York youth-serving non-profit The Possibility Project, presents dramatic stories drawn from foster care youth's own life experiences, includes tales of abuse and homelessness. Five characters' worlds intersect as they confront loss, heartbreak, adulthood and bureaucracy in this tale about transience and perseverance.
KNOW HOW captures the reality of life in foster care from the point of view of those living in it. It's not a documentary nor is it fiction. It's a hybrid approach to using film to create social change. Instead of professional screenwriters and actors, these true stories are written and performed by a cast of ordinary foster care youth and their performances are powerful, moving, and eye-opening. KNOW HOW is also a musical that brings authentic voices and unseen stories to the screen. It emerged from the efforts of The Possibility Project, a non-profit organization in NYC that brings teenagers together to transform the negative forces in their lives into positive action through projects like this one.
Why make a film about young people in foster care? Because the system doesn't work and the human cost of its dysfunction is too great to ignore. According to a 2010 study conducted by Chapin Hall at The University of Chicago, a few years after aging out of foster care, only 50% of young people will complete high school or a GED, 60% will be convicted of a crime, 75% will receive public assistence, and only 6% will have completed a degree program. The system needs to change.
Launched in commemoration of National Foster Care Month, the film is accompanied by a social action campaign, spearheaded by Participant Media in collaboration with the California Youth Connection. According to the Alliance for Children's Rights, state-level legislation across the country aims to provide better outcomes for foster care youth by ending the use of group homes and supporting foster parents, including the Continuum of Care Reform (CCR) in California. If enacted, the CCR would provide an integrated, comprehensive set of services, including mental health services, and a family foster home rate based on the child's needs as opposed to the placement type, which will contribute to enhancing well-being, permanency and safety for foster children. First Run Features plans to screen the film in order to raise awareness around this legislation, in collaboration with the California Youth Connection to kick off "Shadow Day," an event in which dozens of foster care youth will go to Sacramento to observe and connect with lawmakers.
"A great film has the power to open one's eyes to the intricacies of society and the physical world in which we all collectively dwell. It can inspire reflection, contemplation, and at times, even personal action. KNOW HOW does all that, with a twist."
- Megan Friend, RYOT News and Action
"...a groundbreaking achievement..." - Georgette Todd, The Chronicle of Social Change
Watch the trailer >>
Special Appearance in NYC at Cinema Village!
Fri 5/15 & Sat 5/16: Q&A w/ Producer Paul G. Griffin + Principle Cast Members following 7PM show
Special Appearance in Los Angeles at Laemmle Music Hall!
Fri 5/15 & Sat 5/16: Intro and Q&A with Director Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza + Cast Members following 9:45PM show
Sun 5/18: Intro with Director Juan Carols Pineiro Escoriaza + Cast Members before the 2:30PM show |
KNOW HOW
2014, 106 mins, English, Digital
Directed by Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza
Screenplay by Juan Carlos Pineiro Escoriaza
Executive Producer Paul G. Griffin
Produced by Paul G. Griffin and Marcus Clarke
Written by & Starring
Deshawn Brown
Niquana Clark
Michael Kareem Dew
Gabrielle Garcia
Gilbert Howard
Claribelle Pagan
Ebonee Simpson
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DVD and ONLINE preview screeners are available
For photos and press assets contact:
michelle@firstrunfeatures.com 212-243-0600 x 27
*In an effort to go green, we're no longer automatically providing paper press materials along with screeners
or at press screenings. If you would like us to send a paper press kit with your screener, please let us know.
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Founded in 1979, First Run Features is one of America's notable distributors of documentary films. Recent releases include Michael Apted's 56 UP, Jillian Schlesinger's MAIDENTRIP, Thomas Allen Harris's THROUGH A LENS DARKLY, Doug Pray's LEVITATED MASS, DA Pennebaker's and Chris Hegedus's KINGS OF PASTRY, and Judith Ehrlich's and Rick Goldsmith's Academy Award-nominated THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA: DANIEL ELLSBERG AND THE PENTAGON PAPERS.
Pivot TV is a television network from Participant Media with a diverse slate of original series, acquired programming, films and documentaries. Pivot focuses on entertainment that sparks conversation, inspires change and illuminates issues through engaging content and, through its affiliated website TakePart.com, connects audiences to a wealth of content and customizable actions. Pivot is available in over 47 million homes nationally via major television providers and offers authenticated subscribers a live and on-demand streaming option via its interactive, downloadable Pivot app. Follow Pivot on Twitter at @pivot_tv and on Facebook.
Participant Media is a global entertainment company founded in 2004 by Jeff Skoll to focus on feature film, television, publishing, and digital content that inspires social change. Through its films, social action campaigns, digital network, and its television network, Participant seeks to entertain, encourage and empower ever individual to take action.
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