'Jesus Camp' filmmakers create documentary on Philly kids

You may recognize the names Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady for their work on such documentaries as "Jesus Camp" and "Detropia." For their most recently released work, a short documentary chronicling American kids using technology to connect with adolescents in other countries, the filmmaking duo came to Philadelphia.

"The World Is As Big or As Small As You Make It" began as a 140-character essay entry and was created with money from a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Sundance Institute. It follows children living in North Philadelphia (one young woman mentions a playground at 12^th and Susquehanna streets) who are involved in a local program called Do Remember Me.

Sannii Crespina-Flores, who runs Do Remember Me, takes resources a lot of children already have — iPhones, iPads and the like — and helps children use them to explore the outside world. The kids video chat with others in Paris, Kazakhstan, Tanzania and other countries and learn about other cultures while exploring their similarities. One student in Paris shows some boys in North Philly his beat-boxing skills. In return, a group of Philadelphia dancers show the Parisian kids a routine. At one point, a boy from Philadelphia whispers, "Do y'all have any girlfriends?" to a group of Parisian students. During that same exchange, the cross-country communicators connect on Instagram.

The film, which is based in Philly but also travels to some of the countries where the children are video chatting, brings up important issues in the veil of childhood innocence. Questions like, "Have you ever experienced racism?" "Is your school safe?" and the simple question, "Where are you from?" yield some poignant responses from the children here and around the world.

As the video comes to a close, one Philly student says, "I feel that everybody should be able to go all over the world. The world is as big or as small as you make it."

Watch the Vimeo video here.

[Upworthy]