I Am Because We Are (2008)

Director:

Nathan Rissman

Writer:

Madonna (writer)

Release Date:

25 March 2009 (France)

Genre:

Documentary

Tagline:

I Am Because We Are

Plot:

A look into the lives of Malawi's 1 million plus orphans in the wake of the AIDS pandemic. It offers hope and real solutions to the challenges that people face living in extreme poverty. |

Plot Keywords:

Claim In Title | Current Affairs

Cast

Bill Clinton	...	Himself
Desmond Tutu	...	Himself
Jeffrey Sachs	...	Himself
Paul Farmer	...	Himself

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Malawi

Company:

Semtex Films

I ended up finding out much more than I bargained for; about Malawi, about myself, about humanity.

The second poorest country in the world. A place where 66% of the population exists on less that $1 a day. A place where children cannot go to secondary school because they don't have the $10 per term. This is Malawi.

Malawi is also a country of 12 million people, where one million are children who are orphans because their parents have died of AIDS. This film makes it extremely difficult to face these children and not feel that they are worse off than anywhere else in the world.

However, it would not be a great film if that is all it did. Despite the poverty and disease and the clinging to destructive traditions and the superstitions, the film presents hope for these children and the country.

It also presents lessons for us. As JFK said "Our most basic common link is that we all inhabit this planet. We all breathe the same air. We all cherish our children's future. And we are all mortal." Malawi is looking for help, not a handout. They are being educated in accepting their own responsibility for their lives. Something that is lacking in so many of our neighbors who always blame others for their misfortune. They use this inner strength to smile and laugh and sing in the face of abject poverty. They need our help to overcome their problems and grow their own country.

The seeds are being planted, but the need to assist is presented in a film that should move all.

Thank you, Madonna, for bringing this to us.