Young people produce new film inspired by junior youth text

A group of friends in Townsville in northern Queensland have produced a film based on the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program text Glimmerings of Hope. The following are some reflections about the process.

Nyota, Princia, Nabab, Innocent and Noel are part of a group of about 20 children and junior youth participating in Townsville’s program for the spiritual education of children and the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program. Over the past four months they, with occasional support from the other children and junior youth, have been working on the film. 

When the project first started, the group did not know how it would progress or what the outcome would be. Rather, a few principles were identified along with the first step, and then the group started to act. They had simple tools – a camera for a phone, their own clothes for costumes, sticks and rocks and items from the natural environment for props, the riverbanks and parks for sets. Each of the five key actors played many roles and each week a scene or two was filmed.  

The children had a lot of fun making the film, running along the riverbank, climbing trees, and even rescuing a little turtle that had wandered up onto the busy bike path. At times, they were distracted and forgot what they were supposed to be doing. Sometimes they forgot their lines and found the words hard to say. But as the months went by and the children continued to work together, their confidence grew. They became more patient and encouraging of themselves and their friends and started to see they could concentrate and were able to do so for longer periods. They realised their ideas have value, and they made more and more suggestions about how to shoot certain scenes, or how to solve the problems that arose during the project. 

After four months of filming up to two times per week, the film was finished and ready to present. It was decided to have a grand inaugural screening with the local media, school principal and staff, friends and family all invited to attend the event. 

About 70 people people attended the screening with the children and junior youth hosting the whole event, MCing, speaking about the Junior Youth Spiritual Empowerment Program and the spiritual education of children, inviting the adults to the stage to present certificates and watching the film together with their families, friends, teachers and community.  

In its 30 December 2021 message to the Conference of the Continental Boards of Counsellors, the Universal House of Justice states: 

While the children felt anxious about others seeing the film, they were also very proud of their achievements as they watched the character of Kibomi journey from despair to hope through the guidance and love of others and through his own reflection and choices. 

Watch the full film here: