About this season
Films BYkids pairs teenagers from diverse cultures with accomplished filmmakers to create short personal documentaries that encourage understanding about universal issues and help foster empathy and global citizenry. Ashley Judd serves as series narrator, introducing each 30-minute film. The series is a collaboration between THIRTEEN and the non-profit, BYkids.
Episodes (4)
1. I Could Tell You 'Bout My Life
Aired 29 January 2019
Mike Martin, age 19, faced challenges growing up. At 17, he tagged along with friends who committed a felony. Unable to post bail, he was sent to Rikers Island, one of the country’s most violent prisons. Mentored by filmmakers Chiemi Karasawa and Hollis Meminger, Mike shines a light on the juvenile justice system, while providing a message of hope and encouragement to others.
2. My Beautiful Nicaragua
Aired 5 February 2019
Coffee is a way of life for Edelsin Mendez, age 12, and her family in Nicaragua. But climate change and shifting weather patterns are contributing to a crop disease and threatening coffee production in her community. Mentored by filmmaker Joyce Chopra, Edelsin conveys how her community is striving to maintain its traditions and livelihood, while forging a sustainable future.
3. Out of Aleppo
Aired 12 February 2019
Teen refugee Mohammad Shasho and his family fled war-torn Syria for Berlin, Germany. Now, they are struggling to make a new life, learning to navigate a different culture and communicate in a foreign language. Mentored by filmmaker Anja Baron, Mohammad shares how he and his fellow refugees are surviving displacement, and their hopes for a brighter future.
4. Walk on My Own
Aired 19 February 2019
Had Senegalese teen Ndèye Fatou Fall been born several years earlier, she and her friends would have been subjected to child marriage and other rituals harmful to girls. Mentored by filmmaker Elizabeth Hummer, Ndèye Fatou shares how her village abandoned these practices, and the ways in which these cultural shifts have empowered and transformed her community.