All the Invisible Children
Encyclopedia
All the Invisible Children is a 2005 anthology film
on the theme of childhood and exploitation. It is a collection of seven short films, each focused on a different child.
The film has a total runtime of 116 minutes, averaging 16 minutes each.
It premiered at the Venice Film Festival
on 1 September 2005.
Considering the complexity and actual aim of the project, the producers felt the need to involve different personalities and institutions. All the Invisible Children was produced by Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Chiara Tilesi and Stefano Veneruso for MK Film Productions, in conjunction with associate producers Gaetano Daniele, Anna Rita Dell’Atte, Cesare Falletti di Villafalletto and Andrea Piedimonte. The film was co-produced by Rai Cinema and distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution.
Told through the eyes of children, the story of two little girls leading lives of opposite circumstance unfolds. These two lives mirror, parallel and attract each other while delving deep into the emotional and physical challenges faced by children. This is a tale of hope.
Anthology film
An anthology film is a feature film consisting of several different short films, often tied together by only a single theme, premise, or brief interlocking event . Sometimes each one is directed by a different director...
on the theme of childhood and exploitation. It is a collection of seven short films, each focused on a different child.
The film has a total runtime of 116 minutes, averaging 16 minutes each.
It premiered at the Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
on 1 September 2005.
Segment descriptions, in brief
In order of appearance:- Tanza, directed by Mehdi CharefMehdi CharefMehdi Charef is a French film director and screenwriter of Algerian descent. He has worked on eleven films between 1985 and 2007. His film Le thé au harem d'Archimède was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1985 Cannes Film Festival...
(set in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
; the country is not specified, but it was filmed in Burkina FasoBurkina FasoBurkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
) - A child soldierMilitary use of childrenThe military use of children takes three distinct forms: children can take direct part in hostilities , or they can be used in support roles such as porters, spies, messengers, look outs, and sexual slaves; or they can be used for political advantage either as human shields or in...
is instructed to blow up a building. He enters the building to place a bomb. It turns out to be a school, and he decides not to do it. - Blue Gypsy, directed by Emir KusturicaEmir KusturicaEmir Nemanja Kusturica , is a Serbian filmmaker, actor and musician, recognized for several internationally acclaimed feature films...
(set in Serbia & Montenegro) - A boy is released from a juvenile detention center. He wants to be a barber. However, his father forces him to steal again. - Jesus Children of America, directed by Spike LeeSpike LeeShelton Jackson "Spike" Lee is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced over 35 films since 1983....
(set in USA) - A couple is addicted to drugs and infected with HIV. They have a daughter who is also infected, and bullied for that at school. The film features among others Rosie PerezRosie PerezRosa María "Rosie" Pérez is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, director and community activist.- Early life :...
as Ruthie and Hannah Hodson as Blanca. - João and Bilú, directed by Kátia LundKátia LundKátia Lund is an American-Brazilian film director and screenwriter. Her most notable work was as co-director of the film City of God....
(set in BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
) - A boy and a girl earn money collecting empty cans, cardboard, etc., for recycling. - Jonathan, directed by Ridley ScottRidley ScottSir Ridley Scott is an English film director and producer. His most famous films include The Duellists , Alien , Blade Runner , Legend , Thelma & Louise , G. I...
and Jordan ScottJordan ScottJordan Scott is a British photographer, filmmaker and actress. She is the daughter of director Ridley Scott and advertising executive Sandy Watson. She is the niece of director Tony Scott and half-sister of directors Luke and Jake Scott....
(set in UKUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) - War photographer Jonathan (David ThewlisDavid ThewlisDavid Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
) looks back at his youth. - Ciro, directed by Stefano Veneruso (set in NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
) - Two boys steal a watch from a person in his Mercedes SUV while waiting in traffic, and sell it to a man working in an amusement park, for money and free rides. - Song Song and Little Cat, directed by John WooJohn WooJohn Woo Yu-Sen SBS is a Hong Kong-based film director and producer. Recognized for his stylised films of highly choreographed action sequences, Mexican standoffs, and use of slow-motion, Woo has directed several notable Hong Kong action films, among them, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, Hard...
(set in ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
) - An old man finds an abandoned baby and becomes her guardian. When he dies she ends up being taken in by a man who has a group of children, that has to work for their food. She has to sell flowers on the street and every night return to give the days's earnings to the leader. The leader gets angry when a child does not make enough money. The cheerfulness of the girl is contrasted with the unhappiness of a rich girl and her mother. These characters are linked by a doll that was thrown away by the rich girl and found by the poor girl.
Film production background
All the Invisible Children is a concept of producer Chiara Tilesi. Together with Stefano Veneruso, her producing partner of MK Film Productions, they worked together in the realization of this film composed of seven segments directed by authoritative directors. Each of the directors narrate, through their own personal perspective, unique stories about the children’s condition in their part of the world.Considering the complexity and actual aim of the project, the producers felt the need to involve different personalities and institutions. All the Invisible Children was produced by Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Chiara Tilesi and Stefano Veneruso for MK Film Productions, in conjunction with associate producers Gaetano Daniele, Anna Rita Dell’Atte, Cesare Falletti di Villafalletto and Andrea Piedimonte. The film was co-produced by Rai Cinema and distributed in Italy by 01 Distribution.
Plot
Seven young freedom fighters, heavily armed, are covering ground looking for the enemy. At twenty-one their leader is the eldest. Tanza is twelve and has joined this group after witnessing the massacre of his family. While bathing in a river in the middle of the forest, trying to forget their lives as soldiers for a while, they are unaware that in a short time one of them will be dead and one will be sent to blow up a school, where in a few hours other children just like them will be arriving.Production credits
- Art direction - Tiendrebéogo Rasmané
- Costume design - Martine Somé
- Makeup designer - Aminata Zouré
Plot
Uroš (Blue Gypsy), is about to be released from the juvenile detention centre in which he has spent quite a long time. He is facing the mixed feelings that he has towards his release: dealing again with his father who forces him to steal yet being supposedly freed into the outside world. Uroš’ choice will become clear once he find himself cornered.Plot
Blanca (played by Hannah Hodson) is a Brooklyn teenager who has a daily routine of going to school and enjoying time with her friends despite the backdrop of utter squalor and poverty in which she lives with her parents. But this routine is interspersed with frequent visits to the hospital due to her continued ill health. After a school incident, she finally realises that she is an HIV positive daughter of drug addicted parents and the tale takes a dark and dramatic twist.Production credits
- Production design - Sarah Frank
- Costume design - Donna Berwick
- Makeup - Martha Melendez
Plot
A day in the life of Bilu and João, two enterprising young children struggling to get by on the streets of São Paulo. Their treasures are empty cans, cardboard, discarded boards and nails; objects that society throw away. The children have to use their imagination to turn the urban landscape into their playground, turning refuse into returns. As their ambitions take them off the beaten path, they will need even more ingenuity to get them out of a jam.Production credits
- Art direction - Carla Caffé
- Costume design - André Simonetti
- Makeup - Donna Meirelles
Plot
Jonathan is the story about a shell-shocked photojournalist whose assignments have left him disillusioned with life and irrevocably unhinged. He dreams of freedom from what he has seen and happiness at any cost. He wants it so much that when he decides to run, he physically regresses back to when life was at its best and embarks on an incredible adventure, rediscovering the essence of life through childhood. The children he meets along the way challenge and inspire him to embrace his life once more.Production credits
- Production design - Ben Scott
- Costume design - Greg Fay
- Makeup - Melissa Lackersteen
Plot
Ciro is a kid from the outskirts of Naples. He lives in one of those cement housing projects built after the earthquake of 1980. Along with his friend Bertucciello, Ciro assaults a motorist in order to steal his Rolex. It’s a co-ordinated attack composed of two simultaneous but separate actions. Ciro smashes one of the vehicle’s windows with a hammer, glass flying everywhere, while Bertucciello grabs hold of the man’s watch and rips it away from his wrist. The two kids run in separate directions towards the unforeseen – looking for a real childhood.Production credits
- Art director - Annalisa Mucci
- Costume design - Maria Pennacchio
- Makeup director - Daniela Liuzzi
Plot
John Woo directs Zhao ZiCun (Song Song) and Qi RuYi (Little Cat) in a story of simple truth and undying perseverance through unbelievable hardship.Told through the eyes of children, the story of two little girls leading lives of opposite circumstance unfolds. These two lives mirror, parallel and attract each other while delving deep into the emotional and physical challenges faced by children. This is a tale of hope.
Production credits
- Production design - Timmy Yip
- Art Director - Jia Neng Huang and Xiong Xiao