RESILIENT GENIUS, 73min,. Canada
Directed by Joanne M. Hodges
Resilient Genius gives voice to children and youth affected by war, conflict, and political unrest. 13 children and youth immerse us in memories of Syria, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Rwanda, Afghanistan and Iraq, reflecting on their lives before, during, and after experiences of violence. Their raw recollections, expressions of wisdom and transformative acts provide a powerful call to action.

https://twitter.com/hodgesjoanne

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

I had family members living in Tigray during the height of the violence in the Tigray War. The Ethiopian governments turned off telecommunications, electricity, and water to the 7 million people living in Tigray, targeted items essential for life and destroyed their infrastructure, withheld food and medicine, closed banks, destroyed cultural heritage items, committed massacres, and widespread acts of sexual violence that were genocidal in nature. Nearly a million Tigrayans died; it was clearly a genocide, and yet despite the shocking level of violence and crime, the general public hardly knew anything about the Tigray War. As I walked through my city of Toronto, feeling the impact and weight of the war on the diaspora and myself, I came to realize how important it is to be conscious of the told and untold trauma many refugees have experienced before arriving in Canada. I met Mulugeta Abai, the executive director of the Canadian Centre for Victims of Torture (CCVT), when we both sat on the board of directors of an organization called Ethiopian Canadians for Peace. CCVT wanted to create a short video that profiled and elevated children's and youth's voices, highlighting their unique experiences of conflict and war. Partway through filming, I realized I likely had enough content to create a feature-length film. With over 110 armed conflicts around the world right now and so many people seeking refuge in safer countries, I feel it is critically important that we understand the many unique impacts that war and civil unrest have on our children and youth, so I pushed ahead and created this feature-length film, maintaining the original vision of letting the children and youth describe their experiences in their own words.

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

One year

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

Immersive, transformative.

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

It was not exactly an obstacle, but I paid careful attention to the relationships I developed with the families, children, and youth I interviewed. I also carefully selected a small crew. We were working with such a highly vulnerable population, and I really wanted to ensure that we built and maintained trust. Implementing an advanced consent protocol was also important to me so that youth and parents were given multiple opportunities to approve how their stories were portrayed.

5. What were your initial reactions when watching the audience talking about your film in the feedback video?

It was moving, and I really appreciated hearing their observations and reflections. I hope that those of us who watch Resilient Genius remember to suspend judgment when we interact with refugees, that parents remember we don't know what kids at our local playground or school might have lived through, and that decision-makers remember how many kids with these experiences are living in our communities.

6. What is next for you? A new film?

I am working on a documentary about the Tigray War. I am also a community organizer and human rights defender. In the coming months, I will likely do a bit of all three.