INTERVIEW WITH ROSS KAUFMAN

HBO
Where did you guys get the idea for the film?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Well Zana (Briski, the film's co-director) started to go to India as a photographer, taking pictures of women's issues in India, all over India. I think '94, '95 was her first trip to India. And at a certain point she was invited to go to Calcutta and become part of this photography show. And she went to Calcutta, sort of on a whim. Someone brought her to the red light district while she was there. And as soon as she walked into the red light district she was immediately taken by the place, it almost seemed like she had recognized it before, according to her.

HBO
Interesting.

ROSS KAUFMAN
It was at that point that she started what's become a nine-year journey. First trying to get access to the red light district, then living with the women in the brothels, taking pictures of the women, taking pictures of the children, trying to help the women, but with not much success.

And then reacting to the kids basically asking her to teach them photography. And so she started to teach them photography. And I think it was early '99. And she did that for about a year.

And then she invited me to come and try to document the process of the photography classes. She just knew there was something worthy of documentation. We didn't really know what that meant at that point. We didn't know if it was a film or a ten-minute video. We had no idea. But we basically started filming in 2001. She started filming in 2000. And then I came over in early 2001, and we continued to shoot for about two years.

HBO
Wow. So then in terms of the actual materials that the film was comprised of, it spanned a couple of years.

ROSS KAUFMAN
Yeah, two and a half years.

HBO
And the kids shooting pictures-- that grew out of their own desire to learn?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Yes. The kids approached Zana and were always grabbing at her camera. They were always very curious about it. And at a certain point they started asking her if they could learn how to take pictures using this thing, this machine. And it was at that point she decided, Yeah, it would be great to see this world through their eyes.

So she went out and bought twenty point and shoot cameras, a lot of film, and got on a plane back to Calcutta. At that point she was spending six months a year in Calcutta. And that's when she started teaching the kids.

HBO
The film has a real fly on the wall quality. How did it feel to be a part of that kind of raw intimacy between these people, to be documenting their lives?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Well, I always felt a real bond with the kids and with the women. They took me in right away. Zana had really worked hard to gain access to this place. They trusted her. And that trust carried over when it came to filming the kids.

And the kids know how much I care about them and how much I love them. And I think it's that care and that love and that mutual respect that really comes through not only when I'm shooting or Zana's shooting, but when we're editing, throughout the whole process of the film it was real love and respect for the kids.

HBO
When did you realize that you had something special?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Well, I think we knew that we had some sort of movie probably after we got back from the first round of shooting. We shot for about three or four months. And I think when I came back from that trip we had a pretty good idea that we had something there. We didn't really know what. And I honestly didn't know what we had until our first screening at the Sundance Film Festival.

HBO
Was it a challenge to get the movie finished with all the trips back and forth to India?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Zana and I put money in ourselves and hoped that we'd be able to get grants along the way. And to that end we were awarded a grant from the Sundance Institute, and one from the Jerome Foundation and the New York State Council of the Arts. And then our executive producer Geralyn White Dreyfous, came on board pretty late in the game, but she really helped out and raised a substantial amount of money to help us finish the film.

HBO
Tell us about that first screening at Sundance, what was it like?

ROSS KAUFMAN
I think it was January 14th, 2004. And we had finished the film the day before.

HBO
Wow.

ROSS KAUFMAN
It was incredible. It's hard to describe it. The only thing I could say is that once the credits started rolling, I burst into tears and started crying like a little boy. [LAUGHTER] And Zana had to sort of hold me. [LAUGHTER]

And everyone obviously reacted to the film, loved it. And, you know, I think at that point I thought, Well, we really have something special here.

HBO
And then the Oscar® nomination...

ROSS KAUFMAN
Yeah, that was quite a thrill. We were actually in Calcutta when the Oscars were announced. And we were with the kids. And it was so much fun because we were sitting there in the hotel room and waiting for this call to come through to see if we got nominated. And all the kids were there with us. And finally my phone rings and I put it on speaker and the woman comes on the line and she said, You know, you guys got it. And the kids started jumping up and down and screaming and were very, very excited. It was something that we never really would have dreamed of.

HBO
What do you and Zana hope audiences will take away from the film?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Well, I think if there was one thing I wanted people to come away with is that they would love these kids a fraction as much as I love them. And it seems to have worked. I mean, people come out of the film and tell me how much they adore, admire, respect and love the children.

And almost invariably each person has a favorite kid. And I was just worried that they'd be able to keep them all straight, no less have a favorite kid. So for me, the fact that people come away really loving these children who in essence are total strangers, you know, they're kids halfway around the world.

And I think that's the key to really creating a bond between different people is to be able to reach out through film and through any other media and to have people connect with other people around the world as human beings. I mean, that's what it's all about.

HBO
Where are the kids are at now? How are they doing?

ROSS KAUFMAN
Each of the kids has a different story. I can say that six of the kids are still in boarding schools and doing really well. And they're very happy, which is great.

Our work continues with the kids and with the schools that they're going to through the non-profit that Zana has set up, called Kids With Cameras. And we've done a number of things. But one of the things we've done is taken an exhibition of the kids' photography around the world. And we've been selling the kids' photography and one hundred per cent of the proceeds go towards their education.

HBO
That's great.

ROSS KAUFMAN
And we saw them in January and I'm in constant contact. I got e-mails from them today. They know what's going on with the film. They know that they're basically supporting themselves by selling their photos and that if they choose to be, if they choose education they do not have to worry about work. They can really concentrate on education and do the best that they can.

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China Earthquake Relief Fundraising Silent Auction

Friday, June 20th, 2008, 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm at Centre A, 2 West Hastings St., Vancouver, Canada
Doors open at 6:30 pm. Entry by donation.

This event is a humanitarian contribution from the Vancouver art community to those who are suffering from the terrible disaster in Sichuan, China. Featuring a diverse and spectacular group of Canadian and international artists, including Eric Metcalfe, Hank Bull, Randy Gledhill, David Khang, Xu Bing, and Ding Yi, with more than 30 contemporary art works, incorperated into Centre A's current exhibition Showroom, the auction is so far the biggest China earthquake relief event in Vancouver. A sneak preview of the art work is available online at http://2008may12.blogspot.com. Internet bidding is also accepted for those who cannot attend.