Welcome

Last September, history was made when a group of parents in Compton began organizing and were the first to use California's new "Parent Trigger" law in an effort to transform their failing public school. Inspired by what we witnessed, we took a leap of faith to make this film. We have been following the tremendous controversy ever since -- including the efforts of parents in other states across the country who are trying to follow the lead of parents in Compton.

As parents ourselves, we felt that this legislation represented the first call to action to change the state of the school down the street.  We believe that this documentary will help to inform everyone from parents to policymakers as to the successes and challenges of this legislation as a measure to improve public education.

This project has been a perfect blend of Jen's education expertise, James' filmmaking experience, and our shared passion for social justice. Driven by the need to tell this incredible story, we found ourselves self-financing the project and finding any way possible to make this film (even shooting on the same day our child was born). We've called in favors, taken overnight bus trips, and even stayed in a hostel to save money while shooting on location. 

We believe that this story needs to be told and KNOW from the plethora of media over the last year that it will have widespread appeal and impact. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/24/education/24trigger.html?hp

Where We Are Today

We have finished shooting and we have now turned our home into a 24/7 editing suite/production office.  The finish line is in sight, but we must raise funds for some critical expenses related to the completion of our film such as editing, musical score, legal fees, sound mix, color correction, and festival submissions. 

Our goal for the film is to screen at major film festivals and gain theatrical and television distribution. Our festival strategy for the next year is to submit to top domestic and international film festivals such as Cannes, Telluride, Sundance, Toronto, SXSW, and the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam.

There are 6 levels of perks available to our donors detailed on the right of this page. All donations through IndieGoGo are fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas and tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. As independent filmmakers, we're driven by our passion for this project and many people involved have already generously given their time and talent for little or no pay.  We will find a way to finish the film.  However, every donation helps us focus our creative energy on the story instead of on our fundraising!

We know times are tough out there. If you can't spare anything right now, but would still like to help, take 10 seconds to "Share" our project via email and "Like" us on Facebook by clicking on the buttons above.

The events in Compton also caught the eye of Walden Media (Chronicles of Narnia, Waiting for Superman), and they're currently producing a dramatic feature about this same story called Learning to Fly. We met with Walden about a possible collaboration, but whether or not a partnership materializes, we realize that there is tremendous momentum and synergy between the two films.

We will be updating this site regularly to let you know exactly where your money is going.