Pedro White from Crown Gardens wants to share his film, Top Class, with schools via free screening.
These screenings will be incorporated into talks on prejudice, bullying and anxiety/depression.
He said the film revolves around three high school learners who are victimised in different ways. One is unfairly picked on by a teacher, the other is pressurised by his parents to be someone he is not, and the third is a victim of cyberbullying.
Although the trio is rather unconcerned about each other’s personal problems at first, they learn to unite and help each other overcome their challenges.
“The film is comedic with some romantic awkwardness, as two of the lead characters fall in love. In my personal capacity, I was doing free storytelling shows at schools before the pandemic. That’s where I realised the need for this kind of inspirational story.
“After spending just over two years writing (and rewriting) the script, I approached the relevant government departments for funding. However, their policies conflicted with the non-racial nature of the movie. Also, their distribution model is outdated in my opinion because people now rarely go to cinemas to watch films.
“I’ve since approached numerous companies for sponsorship, most of which could not assist due to the impact of Covid-19 on their businesses. For those reasons, I have used most of my savings and am resorting to crowdfunding to source funds, which will primarily be for the salaries of cast and crew.
“The film is in the casting phase of pre-production, and I have informed numerous schools,” explained Pedro.
He said he wishes to start the production in October/November and probably screen the film towards the end of next year.
For more on the film for people who are interested to make his dream come through visit https://qkt.io/topclass or contact Pedro on 072 7444 974 or at effectionist28@gmail.com
