This film is a window into the work of Scottish Love in Action (SLA) through the lives of two of the children at the Tuni Home and School. It highlights through their stories how lives of desperate poverty and destitution can be transformed into positivity and hope, allowing a child to realise their full potential, through love and education.
A visit to the Tuni Home is to see love in action between these children and all who work there. This film is an opportunity to let everyone experience how the childrens' dreams can become a reality.
SLA have been delighted to work with the Los Angeles based award winning filmmakers, Department of Expansion (DOE). DOE’s ethos is to contribute and be involved with worthy causes trying to make changes around the world; they use their skills to create high quality films to showcase this work which the organisations could otherwise not afford to do. The film exhibits the key areas of the charity’s work whilst raising their profile with a wider audience, enabling them to continue to support the Home and School and reach out to more destitute children in India.
DOE has been working and planning the film with us for over two years. It has been a long and arduous journey, through red tape , to get their Journalist Visas issued and SLA thank them sincerely for staying committed to the project. The film was shot in Tuni in September 2014 and will be released to the general public on the 6th February 2015.
These words of the DOE film makers speak eloquently of their own experience of being with the children and how they captured their stories.
“SLA is more than just a charity, it’s a vision that has been made a reality by hard working staff, volunteers and the generosity of all the helpers, and it truly changes the life of the children it supports. Our minds have been sufficiently blown by what is going on here. Listening to the children’s stories it's heartbreaking to hear what they have endured in their short lives. And yet here they stand in this amazing place. In the classrooms they study hard and take their work very seriously, they have big dreams and they are always helping each other out, calling each other sisters and brothers, the big kids looking after the wee ones. They play with such great joy and enthusiasm. Like any kid anywhere in the world on any playground. How this possible, how is does darkness turn to light so quickly? There will be no shortage of amazing things to shoot. Our biggest problem now is how do you choose just a few stories to tell among so many beautiful and inspiring children.
During our time at the Home and School in Tuni, we were often overwhelmed by poverty and heard terrible stories about the children’s backgrounds. However, what was unique about our experience was that despite the poverty and the sadness of some of the children’s experiences, we never felt darkness while we were there. We hope that you’ll be able to see this for yourself when you see the film.”
By Kristina Robbins, Director & Producer | Department of Expansion