Press

When two American brothers travel to Burma, they discover a remarkable band of children whose quiet determination defies a regime. Filmed in the Thai-Burma mountains over a period of two years, Freedom House is a feature-length documentary that captures life through the eyes of refugee children who learn to make movies. It is a story of dreams waiting to breathe and one girl's miraculous escape to freedom.

The struggle among Burma's ethnic tribes is complex. For sixty years, the Karen minority has endured genocide, civil war, and intense brutality. The Burmese SPDC claims the worst human rights record in modern history. They are heavily financed and armed by neighboring China, Thailand and other Asian powers. While the international community bats with sanctions and speeches, brothers Andrew and Benjamin Schultz wanted to engage those living within the fray.

"From the start, we were looking for a way inside the Burma puzzle," says Andrew (producer). "A story that audiences could embrace and relate with." "When I first stepped inside the 'freedom house', I knew exactly what this film was about," says Benjamin (director). "You could feel peace and creativity in every corner. This was going to be a story of simplicity, of innocence, and a dream discovered." "We quickly realized that these kids have lived an unbelievable drama," says Andrew. "Many watched their parents die. Somebody needs to start listening."

Located near the infamous bordertown Mae Sot, Growth & Opportunity Foundation is a school for displaced and orphaned Karen and Karenni children, a borderline sanctuary where Burmese military once razed refugee villages. Growth students, aged 13-18, fled jungle villages and now live in overcrowded and perilous border camps.

As first-time documentary filmmakers, the brothers perfected their technique in-field. "We learned how to pull drama from the small scenes" says Benjamin. "The style with which we approached Freedom House is really more akin to cinema verite." Shooting without a script, he says, was "taking a step into the unknown. It was scary but ultimately far more rewarding because, when you think about it, we were the first audience to the story." The brothers chose a unique edit pattern of inter-cutting the student films with personal interviews and in-the-field archive footage. "The politics are there if you're observant," says Andrew, "but we find it far more interesting to discover truth inside stories the kids choose to tell."

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From the brothers: This film was made possible by the donations of family, friends, and community. We are grateful to you all for putting faith in us and this project. Our thanks to Christian Freedom International (creators of Growth & Opportunity Foundation) for providing access to your amazing facility and students. To our friends, the students: Your passion to communicate blew away all preconceived ideas and went beyond our hopes. You laughter and perseverance inspire us. We love you.