He Said We Were Hypocrites—And I Had No Answer

I walked into a prison expecting to witness broken lives. Instead, a prisoner exposed the cracks in my own. Although I wasn’t incarcerated for a crime, I realized I had been living in the safety of untested beliefs. It took the wisdom of a gang member to make me question everything.

In 2008, my wife, Amelia, and I traveled to Guatemala to receive our second adopted son, Elliot. We had visited Guatemala multiple times during the adoption process and were fortunate to have a friend, Joel, a missionary deeply connected to the country. We wanted to document the culture for our children, so we asked him to show us the real Guatemala—the places beyond tourist attractions. This time, he took us deeper than I had anticipated: into a maximum-security prison to meet gang members.

Visiting gang members in prison wasn’t on my bucket list, but I agreed, albeit reluctantly.

The discomfort started immediately. At the entrance, I was required to leave my passport with a guard—my only proof of identity and, more importantly, my only proof that I was a U.S. citizen and not a permanent resident of the facility. But that unease paled in comparison to what came next.

A guard escorted us through a series of locked double gates, each checkpoint requiring a stamp on our arms. With each barrier, the weight of where I was going settled deeper into my chest. Finally, after passing through the last security point, we turned a corner, and I froze. Through the heavy steel bars, I saw a long, dimly lit corridor that resembled an anarchist’s nightclub—thick with smoke, pulsing with blaring reggaeton music, and filled with tattooed men pressed against the bars.

The gate behind us locked with a final, decisive clang. The guard did not enter with us. Joel explained that if he had, he might have been killed.

That wasn’t reassuring.

Just as I registered the gravity of the situation, I turned to find myself surrounded by over a hundred men, covered in tattoos like war paint. I suddenly remembered why this wasn’t on my bucket list.

Most of the inmates, however, were distracted by something else: a dentist we had brought along. With tools but no anesthetics, he set up his makeshift practice at the back of the cell block, and gang members sat through procedures one by one, their faces tense as they fought to maintain a tough exterior.

As I stood there, clinging to Joel’s familiar presence, I forced myself to look beyond the tattoos. That’s when I realized that many of these “warriors” were just kids. One of them, intrigued by my presence, approached me. He shared a glimpse of his life, but then he turned the conversation on me.

“You Christians are in a gang just like us,” he said. “You follow a leader. You have symbols, language, customs, and code—just like us. The difference is that you have the luxury of being a hypocrite. If we aren’t true to our gang, we’re killed.”

I had no response—only questions.

Who am I? What leader do I follow? Am I a hypocrite?

His words exposed a contradiction I had never fully examined. Faith had been a part of my identity, but was it something I truly lived out, or had I been comfortable in a faith that required little risk? I quickly realized that had we not adopted our sons, they could have ended up in a place like this. And if I had grown up in the same circumstances as these young men, who’s to say I wouldn’t have made the same choices?

That thought haunted me, but it also compelled me. I couldn’t just adopt my two sons and move on with my life; I had to do something.

I wasn’t a lawyer, a doctor, or an engineer—I couldn’t build a legal case, perform surgeries, or design infrastructure to change their future. But I was a storyteller. Storytelling had the power to expose realities, challenge perspectives, and inspire action. That’s why I founded Athentikos (Greek for “authentic”)—to reveal and inspire through the power of story.

What Does It Mean to Be Authentic?

The word “authentic” is often thrown around, but what does it truly mean? Here are two common definitions:

  • Not false or copied; genuine; real.

  • Having origins supported by unquestionable evidence.

But authenticity isn’t just a dictionary definition—it’s a practice, a discipline, and a risk. Being authentic means embracing both strength and weakness, fully owning one’s identity while acknowledging the need for others. It means refusing to wear a mask, even when doing so would be easier.

The gang member’s words challenged me in unexpected ways. Was I living out my faith with the same unshakable commitment to my brotherhood that these young men had? Or was I merely comfortable with a belief system that allowed for inconsistency?

For me, authenticity means humbly identifying with Christ as my leader—not just in word but in action. It means using my creative gifts for a purpose beyond myself, telling stories that illuminate injustice and inspire solutions. It also means recognizing my limitations and depending on others because I cannot do this alone.

Authenticity is not a solo journey. It is lived out in community, faith, hope, and love.

So I leave you with the same questions I wrestled with that day:

Who are you? What leader do you follow? And is your true identity fully integrated into a life that creates real change?

Diving Into Documentary Production

Diving into documentary production is much like diving into the ocean: it’s breathtakingly beautiful, but it can also be overwhelming.

A year ago today, I said goodbye to my family to spend two and a half months in Guatemala working on my film, “Becoming Fools”. I was eager to get to Guatemala and start capturing the story. Prior to my trip, I had been directing the production from the U.S. for a couple of months, which proved to be quite frustrating. Every day brought new conflicts and obstacles that seemed to hinder our progress. It certainly felt that way, especially since bad news travels fast, particularly when you’re trying to achieve something positive. So, I boarded a plane to immerse myself in this film and pursue what I felt called to do.

Saying goodbye to my son to go to Guatemala for 2.5 months to produce Becoming Fools.

I thought that being in Guatemala would somehow bring continuity to our production. I believed that things would become easier with my physical presence in the country. But I was mistaken. Proximity to conflict does not provide an advantage in controlling it. It wasn’t any easier; it was just a different kind of difficulty—one that was, in many ways, even more challenging. I found myself closer to the waves that constantly crashed down on everything, quickly getting swept out to sea just like everyone else.

However, I know two essential things about waves that also apply to documentary film production: 

1. Don’t fight the current.

2. Never swim alone.

Charles Dickens captured this irony perfectly when he wrote, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…” This prophetic description certainly applied to the Becoming Fools production. It was grueling, stressful, and at times absolutely heart-wrenching. Yet, it was also one of the most joyful periods of my life. I joined hands with close friends and intentionally dove into the crushing breakers because we believed in something greater than ourselves. We were all swept away by the crashing waves and pushed beyond our comfort zones. But somehow, being together made it better because we weren’t swimming alone. This sense of community—mutual trust and interdependence—gave us the confidence to persevere in the face of enormous adversity. We all dove in together.

Ironically, none of us knew how to swim in the first place. None of us had the capacity to achieve our goal. We had all failed at some point. We weren’t the dream team, and at times it felt like a real nightmare. Yet, our group of seemingly incapable individuals became capable because we were called together by the One who makes all things possible. In this calling, my incapacity provided strength for someone else, and vice versa, when we committed to each other in the collaborative process.

However, working together isn’t easy. It can be chaotic and filled with dysfunction. We all make mistakes and may hurt each other in ways that seem to hinder any progress. A group of frightened people climbing on each other while gasping for air in a surging tide will almost certainly drown one another. But we have a life raft if we choose the right perspective. Over time, the ugliness can cancel itself out in a beautiful equation of grace, provided that it is built on a foundation of God’s love. That love compensates for our mistakes and transforms our self-ambition into a sacrifice for others. Thankfully, that love is a life raft big enough for all of us.

I dove into the ocean of documentary production hoping to make a difference in the lives of youth living on the streets. For the past year, I have been tossed around by a current I cannot control, and I still don’t know where it will take me. Yet, with the support of my fellow fools, I will continue to hold on to this life raft of love that transforms an ocean filled with broken people into an ark of redeeming grace, capable of bringing hope to distant shores.

More Than A Trophy

We gained more than a trophy at the Omaha Film Festival.

Despite experiencing a complete white-out blizzard, the turnout for the screening was quite decent. Over 50 students, teachers, filmmakers, parents, grandparents, friends, and family members braved the snow to see “Becoming Fools” in Omaha. We learned that at least another 100 people had planned to attend but were unable to make it due to the weather. Ironically, Omaha had enjoyed 60-degree weather every day leading up to the screening. This was an emotional challenge for us, but we quickly accepted that we have no control over the weather.

The aftermath of the blizzard in Omaha, Nebraska.

I found myself at peace when the Becoming Fools title sequence began to play, despite knowing that the film was not yet entirely finished. There were still grammatical errors in the subtitles, audio in a few scenes needed to be remixed, and none of the beautiful animation our friend Beaux is working on, had been edited into the film. These things just couldn’t be finished in time for the screening. But these things were small in the scope of all the work already completed – and hopefully, most people wouldn’t notice.

After the film ended, I had the opportunity to answer questions from the audience. As a filmmaker, this is a golden opportunity to get feedback and gauge the impact. I was delighted to answer questions about the production and our motivation to produce the film. I even called attention to our son Micah as a visual aide, noting that children as young as him were living in the streets alone. I could sense the weight of this reality sinking in as audience members gasped and shook their heads in disbelief.

Our sons wearing clown noses at the Omaha Film Festival.

At one point, someone asked me if we had staged a specific scene in the film. I tried not to smile too much when I answered the question because it was a legitimate thought. After all, the scene in question could seem “too good to be true.” I responded:

“I know it could appear too good to be true, but in all honesty, that is how it happened. I wish I could have had some control over the film because I certainly would have done many things differently.”

But I didn’t have control, and I still don’t (obviously— I mean, there was a blizzard on our screening day!). The truth is, I will never have control.

The story captured and presented in “Becoming Fools” is an authentic depiction of chaos made beautiful by a God who knows much more, cares much more, and ultimately loves much more than I do. The film showcases incredible grace, but it doesn’t end with everything wrapped in a bow. That simply isn’t reality. These kids are still living on the streets. Some have intentionally gone to jail. Others have been hospitalized due to knife wounds. Their status has changed several times since we began post-production, because that is the nature of life on the streets.

We hope to finish the film this month and start planning a fall screening tour, but we don’t have control over that either. We have dipped deep into our savings to finish the film and don’t have the resources needed for a screening tour. However, we trust that the necessary resources will be provided. We hope that others will choose to join us in “Becoming Fools”.

This journey has been chaotic, yet beautiful in the midst of that chaos. We didn’t set out to tell this story because we knew how it would end; we felt called to authentically amplify the voices of these youth living on the streets, hoping that audiences would want to join the effort to make a difference. We didn’t win any awards at the Omaha Film Festival, but the audience affirmed our hope. Several people shared how the film inspired them to engage with the issue of at-risk youth. To us, that’s worth more than a trophy.

The Official Becoming Fools Movie Trailer

Drum roll, please …. After much anticipation, we are thrilled to release the official Becoming Fools Movie Trailer.

We’re not yet finished with the film, but we’re close. It’s in the final phase of post-production: coloring, music, mixing, animation, art, and credits.

After a year of pre-production and research, 6 months of production and 6 months of editing and post-production, we are rounding the turn towards the finish line. My heart has swung through all emotions imaginable over the course of this journey – from loving the story, to absolutely hating it, to loving it again.

The production phase is my favorite. It is a time when we are out in the world together, collaborating, capturing a story and experiencing the richness of community. It’s hard work, but somehow we don’t notice because we are together. You should hear the laughter at 2 AM when we’re logging footage, after a 12 hour shoot in a dirty environment … and the water is off, so you can’t take a shower before bed. It is a true joy!

Then there is the flip side. If production is a joy because of community, then editing is the Alcatraz prison of loneliness. To be honest, I often wrestle with depression while editing a film. It is a long period of isolation in the “editing cave” with only small spurts of community when we evaluate the film. And because those small doses of community are focused on critically evaluating the film, it usually results in me having to spend more time editing in isolation. Don’t get me wrong. I greatly value constructive criticism during the process and want our films to be the best they can be! It just begins to take its toll after 6 months of 16 hour work days. Needless to say, I am very glad that I can see the light at the end of the editing tunnel!

After all this work, the film is slightly different than we originally imagined. But, this is normal because you never have control over all the production elements in a documentary. In this case, we were thrown some pretty big wild cards during production. I compared it to riding a wild bull. We just held on tight, kept the cameras rolling, and prayed we were capturing what we needed to tell a great story. Thankfully, we captured some great stuff!

During a recent Athentikos meeting, we engaged in a deep and honest discussion about the film. We asked some  tough questions ….

Is this a compelling story?

Does this film achieve what we set out to do?

Is the story depicted in the final edit the same story we passionately felt called to produce in the beginning?

It was unanimous. Even though the story is different than we initially imagined, it compellingly accomplishes the goal we set out to achieve. This is the story God called us to tell.

It’s full of warm characters, beautiful tension and redemption that we couldn’t have written better if we wrote it as a narrative. It still makes me cry … and I have seen it thousands of times over the course of editing! So, either I am completely off my rocker, or this story truly connects to the heart.

As we work diligently to wrap up the final details in this project, I have mixed emotions. I’ve committed 2 years of my life to developing, filming and editing this story. I’ve grown to love these street youth as dear friends. Their delicate charm has captured my heart! I would love for this film to raise awareness and bring needed resources to this issue! But, I have no idea what will become of it all.

We raised enough funding to get through production. But we still lack the financial resources to release the film. Unfortunately, we can’t subsidize this next phase with our sweat equity. Unless we receive additional funding, we will be forced to put the film on hold. We truly believe this story has the potential to make a difference in the lives of street youth around the world. But we need your help … will you consider giving a donation?

As of right now, we only have one official film screening planned. Let’s make it count!

Becoming Fools will screen at the Omaha Film Festival on Sunday March 10 at 12:15 PM.

Gather your friends and meet us there! If you are too far away to attend, please help us make noise so we can try to fill the theater. Use every means necessary to tell people about this opportunity to see the film: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, phone calls, post cards, smoke signal … and especially talking face to face!

Please watch the trailer and share it. Give a donation if you can. Work with us to help bring the film to your city. Let’s become fools together and make a difference!

Give a tax-deductible donation to help us release the film.

Becoming Fools is an official selection for the 2013 Omaha Film Festival

Becoming Fools is an official selection for the 2013 Omaha Film Festival!

We are grateful for the opportunity to share Becoming Fools with Omaha and look forward to enjoying the festival events!

We would love to pack the house. Please save the date: Becoming Fools will screen sometime during the festival between March 6-10, 2013.

Stay Tuned for more details.

Thank you to the wonderful team at Omaha Film Festival!

Why do we keep marching forward in something that seems so foolish?

We are fools.

Why do we keep marching forward in something that seems so foolish? Seriously, sometimes I wonder if I am just stubborn or foolish myself. Either way, we seem foolish for pressing on. Today, I finally finished editing “Becoming Fools”, and we received our first response back from a film festival where we submitted the project. It read:

“I’m sorry to inform you that your project was not selected … Best of luck with your future projects.”

Not exactly the most encouraging news on this milestone of production.

Let me set the stage for this message. I’ve been working on the “Becoming Fools” documentary for two years, full-time for the last year and a half, and honestly, “full-time” is an understatement. It’s more like 16 hours a day, six days a week. I don’t share this for sympathy; I share it to emphasize just how truly foolish I feel.

From the very beginning, every step of this journey has felt foolish. It’s been a marathon of impossible hurdles designed to challenge our resolve to keep going:

– The protagonist of the story passed away while we were in pre-production.

– Amelia and I lost our day jobs within three weeks of each other, leaving us without a secure income.

– Our Kickstarter fundraiser failed to raise the necessary funds to produce the film.

– Funds were not raised to pay for the live theatrical event documented in the film.

– The lead character of the live theatrical event quit and returned to the streets.

– We had 485 hours of footage that needed to be translated before we could edit it down to feature length.

– The editing process took five months, working 16 hours a day, six days a week.

– We missed the opportunity to enter several major film festivals for the season.

– Technical difficulties complicated the finalization of the edit.

– Our first film festival notice was a rejection.

– We currently lack funds to release the film.

And yet, we continue. Why?

There are days when I wonder if I have wasted the last few years of my life investing in this seemingly foolish endeavor. Some days, it really stings and makes me feel like a total failure. But then I take a deep breath and remember why we started this project: it is a story that needs to be shared to inspire others.

What is failure? What is foolishness? Italo could be seen as both. He lived his life in accordance with the passion that God gave him, risking everything to care for kids who seemed unlikely to change. In fact, many of the children he helped still struggle with addiction and have not completely left the streets. But Italo didn’t die in those streets. Instead, his passion sparked the creation of a community of “fools” who believe they can make a difference together.

Was Italo a fool? Yes. Was he a failure? Absolutely not.

Like Italo, we continue because we are “fools” living our lives according to the passion God has given us. With that purpose in mind, there is no way we can fail. So, we keep marching forward.

2012 was a year of adventure and blessing for Athentikos

2012 Athentikos Collage

We are grateful to share our journey from 2012 with you:

Athentikos took a risk by beginning production on the Becoming Fools documentary without full funding, believing that God would provide. As of December 2012, the film is 75% complete.

For over five months, homeless youth were mentored by professional artists in preparation for a live theatrical event aimed at raising awareness and inspiring community involvement in the fight against homelessness. Athentikos fully funded the clowning classes and the theatrical production.

Ericha Penzien spent seven months in Guatemala facilitating film production and managing rehearsals for the theatrical performance. We were also blessed to have our first production intern, Brandon Rojano. 

Scott Moore dedicated two and a half months to Guatemala to build relationships with homeless youth, mentor Guatemalan production volunteers, and capture footage for the Becoming Fools documentary. Our work gained visibility through features in magazines, radio, and television.

In June, Athentikos partnered with Guatemalan churches, NGOs, and local and federal governments for a consultation event to address homelessness and present an official report to the Guatemalan government. During this month, homeless youth shared their stories through a theatrical performance in front of over 400 people at Guatemala’s historic Teatro Abril.

We captured more than 485 hours of footage for Becoming Fools. As part of the project Reparando, Shorty had the opportunity to share the stage with Guatemala’s Vice President and present his testimony to over 10,000 high school students.

  • Athentikos was part of a leadership team with Lemonade International and Vidas Plenas to host an annual art camp for 100 at-risk kids in the La Limonada community, Guatemala. Through individual donations and a grant from LEGO, Athentikos provided over 70% of the funding for this initiative.
  • Vidas Plenas received a $64,102 grant in response to the awareness raised by our documentary, “Reparando”.
  • We believe that stories inspire change and hope. We are thankful to share these incredible blessings from 2012, which would not have been possible without your support!
  • Please help Athentikos continue inspiring through the art of storytelling by making a tax-deductible gift of $50, $100, $200, or more. Your investment will yield exponential returns as it inspires through storytelling in 2013 and beyond!

Thank you for believing in our mission and generously sharing your time, talent, and resources. Together, we are all part of this inspiring story!

www.athentikos.com

To Become a Fool

By: Tyler Bradley

It is crazy to believe that a little over a month ago I was in Guatemala with some amazing people, spreading the Gospel and capturing life in a very raw sense. I have been out of the United States several times, but this was the first trip that had a layered agenda, to document a broken world in hopes to rebuild it, to help people along the way, to show and share love, and to bring back the need for help and share that with others. I thought that was going to be the extent of what happened on this journey, but little did I know, it would change my life in a significant manner.

 If someone would come up to me and say, “would you help us shoot a documentary out of the country for a couple of weeks?” Without a doubt I would say yes, however this wasn’t just some ordinary excursion of a documentary, rather this is a sequel if you will. Athentikos’s first documentary, “Reparando,” weighed heavily on my heart when I watched it. The film gave insight into various serious issues in Guatemala and the need for outside help because help within is sparse. The documentary showed me how shattered a civilization, yet at the same time how Guatemalans continue to trudge forward and overcome adversity. That said, that was even more of a push for me to go on this trip to document footage for Athentikos’s second documentary “Becoming Fools”.

I will admit I was scared to go to a country I had never been to, where there would be some culture shock and where I could personally experience some adversity.  I went down there blindly, only knowing one person, Bobby Marko. I knew I was going to serve a loving and gracious God, so with that instilled in me, everything was going to be just fine.

Upon my arrival in Guatemala I had a warm welcoming from the Athentikos crew, as well as a lot of Español! I knew I had made the right decision the second I met everyone. From there on, I knew I was there to minister, serve, and do my job as a camera operator so we could influence the rest of the world and bring this story to them. The one thing I wasn’t counting on was changing my own outlook.

Without stringing this on, I was broken of my own walls and priorities, God showed me a side of life I had never seen before and He wasn’t holding anything back. Visualize this, a child who is barely a teenager, or even younger, who is just now entering the 6th grade. To us, we would see them as youthful beings, probably playing a sport after school or doing some extracurricular activity. In the United States, we see the youth as a precious generation. Yet let’s take this same age and apply it to a child in Guatemala. They are probably living on the street, don’t have a family, hardly any education, are malnourished and addicted to any drug they can get their hands on.

For me, seeing children struggling to live, to look to the future and see no hope, not to know love or God just kills me inside. To experience their lives as we did was so shocking, eye-opening, and at the same time humbling. If I could pick a day that impacted me the most, it would be when we drove around looking for children selling goods on the streets. We encountered a group of people ranging from about 10 to about 40 years old. We got out and did some interviews with them, but what became glaringly clear is how these children and adults were coping with their street life, which was by huffing solvent. It is one thing for me to see a grown man or woman doing drugs, but when you visit a 10-year-old child huffing solvent to quench their hunger, it does something to you. And even more so, while we were interviewing these children, the local police drove by and honked at us to get out of the street, and you can see that they could care less about the children who are addicted to drugs, not but 5 feet from us. In a sense, as I am writing this, I am speechless because words cannot describe how hopeless these children and adults are, how this is their release, and that to them this is the best way to live.

If there were one thing that can influence/inspire others to lend a hand and support the street kids of Guatemala, I would say that the severe dependence on drugs is the most motivating factor.  Now don’t get me wrong, not all hope is lost, there are some children who, with guidance, find a way out of the addiction, but the lack of guidance and love is what is keeping the other kids on the street.

I think the documentary “Becoming Fools” will change people’s lives and break them in the same way this experience broke me. It will make you not only want to help these street kids, but it will make you re-evaluate your own life. We are so fortunate and have so many resources readily available to us that we live a sheltered life. I was living a sheltered, comfortable life myself, living day to day, finding happiness in monetary items, and not praising God the way I should. Yet to see a child smile or a glimpse of hope in their eye because you are there to help them, to show them a way out of the darkness and spread that word to others around the world… that is the meaning of life and that is where true happiness should be found, in knowing you are helping someone else in their life struggle and that because of you and the faith you have, these kids have hope and see a brighter future. I would say “I have been fooled,” that I was a prime example of someone who needed a wake-up call, and that a material world had tricked me. Yet to have become a fool and realize what life really is about is the most rewarding factor of it all.

 

A Moment of Applause Fills the Soul

Nothing fills the soul like applause. As the receiver and the giver.

So many emotions flood that one moment: the sense of accomplishment, the sorrow of the end, the struggle of the hard work and the desire for more. It is reflection of countless hours of rehearsal and sacrifice; and of the belief that you could be more. It’s a time to celebrate, to come together. In this moment, you realize you didn’t give up, that your voice was heard, that others accepted you.

Life without applause slowly crushes the soul. Who believes in me? Who will be my champion? Who will celebrate with me? Who will allow me to have a voice?

For one week in June, I spent my time in a dark rehearsal theater in Guatemala City, observing youth from the streets who were given the chance to take on a significant task. I couldn’t help but wonder if most of their lives felt like the dark, cold theater—without an audience, lacking light, filled with unfinished work, doubt, disbelief, frustration, and a silence that longed for applause.

Disbelief filled my thoughts, “There was no way this was coming together.” I was here as a champion for them, but I disbelieved. Could this event really come together? Could they REALLY accomplish this task? Did they have enough determination, enough skill… enough confidence?

For those who are new to our story: My husband and I are connected to Guatemala through the adoption of our two sons. We wanted to maintain a meaningful connection to the country, so we decided to use our skills in film and photography to share inspirational stories of hope. As a result, we produced a documentary film titled *Reparando*, which was completed in 2010.  We are currently working on a second documentary project called *Becoming Fools*. This film focuses on young men and women who left their homes, lost their families, or were abandoned as children and grew up on the streets of Guatemala. The streets of Guatemala City are home to more than 6,000 youth. Many of these children begin their lives on the streets as young as 8 years old. They often sleep in abandoned lots, beg or steal for money, and resort to drugs to escape their hunger, the cold, the rain, or even worse circumstances.

They are not alone; individuals and organizations are making a difference in the lives of marginalized children and young people. One man even dreamed of hosting a clown workshop.

The handful of youth participating in the clown workshop had the opportunity to perform in front of 400 people at a large theater in Guatemala City. The purpose of this event was to bring to awareness the situation of youth and children living on the streets of Guatemala City. This theatrical performance was the final event in a series of weeklong activities entitled Festival: Voz De Las Calles. Through laughter and learning, professional clowns have been investing time and love into this group, teaching them the beautiful art of clowning. This performance was a dream for many members of the community. It gave the youth a chance to perform with professional clowns, taught them to dream, believe, achieve and receive applause from their community.

Applause The Show

The story of the show reflects the real-life experiences of its characters, portrayed as clowns. Here’s a synopsis: A heartwarming journey unfolds as a clown embarks on an adventure filled with friendship. He discovers new companions in unexpected circumstances and teaches them the art of clowning. Together, they find joy in their newfound skills and decide to accompany him to “The King’s Party.” Along the way, they face various obstacles, but they remain determined to bring laughter and hope to the community around them.

The Purpose Of Our Documentary

As you may know, Scott spent two months in Guatemala this spring documenting the preparation for a clown event, the progress of the rehearsals, and interviewing experts about the issue of children who live and work on the streets. I was fortunate enough to join him for the last two weeks, which included the theatrical performance. It was a stressful week leading up to the show. Nothing is stable or consistent in the lives of children and youth at risk on the streets. Their thought processes, decision-making, and behavior reflect the instability they experience in their own lives. While it is heartbreaking to witness some of their immature actions, I am humbled by their courage to continue living, growing, and forming families amidst difficult circumstances. Although their clown performance was just a brief moment in their lives, the hope and prayers of the community are that they will reap the rewards of their hard work and find inspiration on various levels. I know it was inspiring for me.

And I am extremely proud to say that even in the midst of chaos and drama, the performance was beautiful. It was an honor to stand and give applause to the youth performers. Their talent and determination is amazing. And so we will be sharing their stories AND their performance in the documentary film, Becoming Fools, which we hope to complete by the end of 2012.

Here are some more of photos of the film production, which included a trip to Lake Atitlan and some underwater filming for me. This area has a special place in the story of the project; and is now one of my favorite places in Guatemala! And we got to have a little fun too. We also spent time with a sweet group of siblings who recently tragically lost their mother.

You have the opportunity to join the applause. We will share more about our documentary as it unfolds, however you can support the project now through a donation.