The Boys of Baraka
by Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Our Price: $7.99
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $3.99 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Devon Brown, Justin Mackall, Montrey Moore, Richard Keyser, Romesh VanceDirector: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady
Brand: THINKFILM LLC
Cinematographer: Marco Franzoni
Cinematographer: Tony Hardmon
Editor: Enat Sidi
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 84 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-06-06
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: THINKFilm
Movie Reviews of The Boys of Baraka
Movie Review: Inspiration in the place of adversity.
Summary: 5 Stars
We've all heard stories of people, families living in poverty without much, if any opportunity for improvement, but what those 2-3 minute news "special reports" lack has little to do with the subjects involved. "The Boys of Baraka" gives a rare 84-minute, in-depth look at 4 of the many families living in one of the most poverty-stricken, violent cities in the United States, Baltimore, Maryland. The stars of the film are the stars of each family, a cast of 4 brilliant young boys desperately in need of a chance. Unfortunately, the facts surrounding each story told is far from uncommon, but what is uncommon is what makes this documentary a standout, there lies a concrete solution to the problem with the soil.
Each year, the Baraka School selects 20 male students who are in need of better support and education, and gives them a chance to get away, far away, and continue their education in Kenya, where the school is located. Some of the boys rebel, while others excel, but while problems are still present, improvement is just as evident.
Summary of The Boys of Baraka
This documentary follows several young and courageous boys through three crucial years of their youth joining them in their journey across the ocean and towards opportunity.System Requirements:Running Time 84 Mins.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/MISC. Rating: NR UPC: 821575548052 Manufacturer No: TF-54805If everyone in high government office saw The Boys of Baraka, who knows what kind of positive change it might inspire? From this remarkable documentary about hope and second chances, the message is clear: The poorest, most violent, undesirable neighborhoods in America are a breeding ground for hopelessness and despair, and there's a solution if only we'd give it a good fighting chance. The scene is Baltimore, Maryland, in 2002, where 76% of all African American boys living in the inner-city ghetto will never earn a high school diploma. As one adult tells the kids at a Baltimore school, they have three choices: jail, an early death, or graduating high school--and you know she's telling the cold, hard truth. That's when we learn of the Baraka School in Kenya, East Africa, where 20 African American boys (ages 12 and 13) are chosen each year to enter a transformative two-year course of schooling, away from their families in Baltimore. The purpose of the school, in part, is to demonstrate that the toxic environment of Baltimore, and its negative impact on the self-esteem of ghetto residents, can be reversed by removing these boys to Baraka, where a strict regimen of classes and responsibilities has an immediate, if not always permanent, beneficial effect.
We follow several boys on this fascinating journey toward growth and renewal. Devon is an aspiring preacher with musical talent; Montrey is a troublemaker with a bad attitude, who dreams of a career in science; brother Richard and Romesh are both accepted into Baraka, and despite setbacks both flourish in the program. Codirectors Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady capture their gradual awakening to a new way of living and a new outlook on life, and then comes bad news: Due to security concerns and regional politics, the Baraka program is suspended, and the boys must return to the bleakness of Baltimore. Have they changed for good? Will they find a way to earn their diplomas and have hope for their futures? The Boys of Baraka offers no easy answers, but in showing us a glimmer of hope against all odds, the film gains depth and power with a conditional happy ending. Uncertainty remains, but so does a palpable sense of achievement and self-improvement that could, on a grander scale of government and societal support, lead to a positive revolution in our school system, which currently offers a depressing shortage of options for our most underprivileged citizens. Without forcing its uplifting message, this exceptional documentary offers proof of a better way, if only enough people would step up and support it. --Jeff Shannon
Documentary DVD Video
DVD Video
- Action & Adventure
- African American Cinema
- Animation
- Anime & Manga
- Art House & International
- Classics
- Comedy
- Cult Movies
- Documentary
- Drama
- Educational
- Fitness & Yoga
- Gay & Lesbian
- Horror
- Kids & Family
- Military & War
- Music Video & Concerts
- Musicals & Performing Arts
- Mystery & Suspense
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Special Interests
- Sports
- Television
- Westerns
Movies most talked about in Best Documentaries
Jonestown - The Life & Death of Peoples TemplePARAMOUNT PICTURES; Release date: 2007-04-10; DVD
Best price: $15.75
Price in other shops:
The Future We Will Create: Inside the World of TEDNEW VIDEO GROUP INC; Release date: 2007-12-18; DVD
Best price: $14.43
Price in other shops:
Who the #$&% Is Jackson Pollock? (Documentary)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-05-01; DVD
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
The Devil Came On HorsebackNEW VIDEO GROUP INC; Release date: 2007-10-30; DVD
Best price: $12.87
Price in other shops:
The Hobart ShakespeareansNEW VIDEO GROUP INC; Release date: 2006-02-28; DVD
Best price: $12.97
Price in other shops:
The World According to Sesame StreetSONY GROUP; Release date: 2006-10-24; DVD
Best price: $13.49
Price in other shops:
WordplayWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2006-11-07; DVD
Best price: $12.63
Price in other shops:
The Boys of BarakaTHINKFILM LLC; Release date: 2006-06-06; DVD
Best price: $4.48
Price in other shops:
Street Fight: A Film by Marshall CurryWELLSPRING/GENIUS; Release date: 2007-01-09; DVD
Best price: $17.36
Price in other shops:
Half Past Autumn - The Life and Works of Gordon ParksRelease date: 2006-01-24; DVD
Best price: $17.96
Price in other shops:
Similar DVD Movies
God Grew Tired of UsSony; Release date: 2007-08-14; DVD
Best price: $9.37
Price in other shops:
Turtles Can FlyRelease date: 2005-09-20; DVD
Best price: $4.95
Price in other shops:
Mad Hot BallroomRelease date: 2005-10-18; DVD
Best price: $6.25
Price in other shops:
When the Levees Broke - A Requiem In Four Acts (Documentary)LEE,SPIKE; Release date: 2006-12-19; DVD
Best price: $20.95
Price in other shops:
POV: Lost Boys of SudanRelease date: 2004-11-02; DVD
Best price: $14.42
Price in other shops:
The Untold Story of Emmett Louis TillRelease date: 2006-02-28; DVD
Best price: $4.26
Price in other shops:
Children UndergroundRelease date: 2003-02-25; DVD
Best price: $11.93
Price in other shops:
GirlhoodRelease date: 2004-05-18; DVD
Best price: $8.30
Price in other shops:
Jesus CampJESUS CAMP (DVD MOVIE); Release date: 2007-01-23; DVD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
Born into BrothelsRelease date: 2005-09-20; DVD
Best price: $8.93
Price in other shops: