We spent a week in Sarasota, Florida to screen Becoming Fools, and document the work of our local response partner, Night Life – an innovative youth outreach center that offers hope to at-risk youth through mentoring relationships.
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Wednesday was THE day of our first big premiere in the theater .. and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We hoped to get a power nap in, but were dealing with technical difficulties right up to the time the event started … and then experienced even more difficulties during the event …
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Many scenes in a documentary morph over the course of editing, and others end up on deleted on the “cutting room floor”. We captured 5 Terabytes of footage for Becoming Fools over the course of two years, so we had a lot of material to work with. I wrestled with the footage for about ten months as I edited the story, focusing in on the journey of street youth as they prepared for a theatrical event on a professional stage. One scene that ended up being cut is the Panchorizo Event.
Panchorizo is an incredibly talented entertainer in Guatemala who performs as a comedian, acrobat, and musician for audiences of all ages. During Becoming Fools, we took a few of the street youth to his performance at the Guatemalan National Theatre to inspire them. Panchorizo began performing in the streets of Guatemala and is now a full time professional artist who performs to sold out shows. I loved the motivation of the scene: the youth caught a glimpse of what is possible when someone devotes themselves to something and works hard at it. But sometimes we need to cut things that we like.
Panchorizo was originally supposed to be very involved with the Becoming Fools film, but he became very busy with his work and didn’t have the margin to join the cast. So, this was the only scene with Panchorizo. It is a fun scene with a lot of laughs, but in the editing process, we decided that it didn’t really push the story forward, so we cut it from the film. Thankfully we can still share it in this form.
I’m not wearing a Lucha Libre mask, leaping high off the ropes to grapple a turkey (although that would be epic). I’m talking about being honest with myself about what I’m thankful for.
God, Family, Food, Shelter, Health, Education, Friends, Travel … things that warm my heart and put a smile on my face.
What about the stuff that has angered me, saddened me, or hurt me? What about the things that have really been a struggle? Am I thankful for those things? What things fit into that category? Depending on my perspective (or lack of one) … anything can.
I’ve been immersed in Becoming Fools for the last three years. It has been a stressful journey and I have found myself growing more and more exhausted … and less and less thankful for the opportunity to be involved with the project. I used to feel the same way about Reparando. But that changed over time, after we released the film.
During my Becoming Fools scouting trip in 2011, Tita asked me to personally attend a screening of Reparando. I was honored for the invite, but was exhausted from two weeks of 16 hour days interviewing people and capturing footage in Guatemala City. Part of me wanted to just go back to my room and go to sleep. I couldn’t understand why it made a difference if I was there. I thought, “I am just a silly Gringo. They won’t care. And besides … I’m in Guatemala for Becoming Fools, not Reparando.” But Tita was persistent. She said she really wanted me to come. So, we drove straight from our production across the city to a church near La Limonada. Tita met us outside the church with hugs and we watched the film from the back of the room.
After the film ended, Tita called Shorty and I to come up in front. She hugged me, and while everyone was clapping, they presented a gift from the people of La Limonada: A T-shirt covered with signatures of people who live in La Limonada … People who were very thankful we made the film. I could not have been more wrong about … everything.
Reparando brought me closer to many things in the list I made above – God, family, friends, education, and travel. On a personal level, it helped me understand my sons’ stories in a way that I could never grasp otherwise. On a broader level, Reparando has inspired countless resources given to mission that have blessed people with much more struggle than I could ever image – people who are very thankful.
I believe that Becoming Fools will do the same eventually. So why am I wrestling with thanksgiving over Becoming Fools? I’m human. I forget. That’s why we’re called to be transformed by the renewing of our mind (continually refocusing our perspective on truth). We forget. That’s one of the reasons we celebrate Thanksgiving: to remember. I am personally challenged to remember things that might not seem to easily fit into a warm and fuzzy Thanksgiving box. Because most of the time, I’m just trying to put these things in the box from the wrong angle.
Here’s the right angle:
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)
It’s not easy, but hopefully if I continue to wrestle, Thanksgiving will eventually win with a knockout.
Becoming Fools documents the intriguing story of homeless youth in Guatemala learning to heal through the art of clowning. During production, we developed friendships with youth who began living on the streets when they were 7 years old – and we learned a lot about the issue. One of the most profound revelations is that a great number of these youth living in the streets actually have family that they could return to. But these youth choose to remain in the streets.
Some children lose their families. But many other youth CHOOSE to live in the streets – sleep in the rain, eat scraps from a dumpster, disengage from society, constantly “exist” in the threat of harm, and fall into the trap of drug addiction or prostitution … etc … rather than return home to a roof and company of a family? Why? Often, it’s because violent city streets are actually more peaceful than the homes they left behind. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around that fact. But, I grew up in a healthy family.
Becoming Fools features stories from youth who fled to the streets for different reasons – but in a way, are exactly the same. Mefi lost both of his parents when he was 7 years old and moved in with a family member who abused him. Sandy was sent to the streets at an early age to sell candy to help provide income for her family. She was beaten when she didn’t return home with her quota. Raul lost his mother at an early age and lived with his alcoholic father who repeatedly abused him. They all have family … but their family members are abusive. They are guaranteed to be abused at home. At least there is a small chance of peace in the streets.
It’s an extreme issue in Guatemala that doesn’t have an easy solution. For many reasons, there isn’t yet a strong culture of adoption and foster care in Guatemala, but that wouldn’t matter anyway. These children aren’t orphans. There isn’t a strong social services program with funding and resources to intervene. Unfortunately, Guatemala is riddled with violence and many people confuse homeless youth with violent delinquents (gang members, drug traffickers, organized crime) and ignore opportunities to make a difference. As result, these youth slip under the radar as they wander the streets trying to survive.
But all is not lost. There are organizations responding to the issue, developing relationships with these youth and working with them day to day, in the hopes that their lives will be healed and transformed. During Becoming Fools production, we saw first hand how these “fools” pour their passion into the uphill battle of rescuing and rehabilitating homeless youth. On one occasion, a couple organizations partnered together so street youth from Guatemala City could share their clown performance with orphans outside of Antigua. Part of this event ended up in the final cut of the film and the symbolic significance of the event still echoes in my mind: homeless youth clowning for orphans, organizations partnering together, and joy conquering tragedy.
Yesterday, I opened a letter addressed to Athentikos from Pennsylvania. We normally don’t receive a lot of mail from people, so this was already a unique experience. Inside the envelope was a check and a handwritten letter that included the following:
“Dear Mr & Mrs Moore,
I viewed your documentary – Reparando – last evening on Hulu Plus and I was moved by the conditions that exist, and the work being done to repair them. Praise God! Enclosed is a gift of $25 which I will send each month for the next year …”
I was unprepared for this encouragement and my eyes filled with tears. The emotional bank of my heart has long been overdrawn – invested in Becoming Fools – a worthy, but underfunded project that has been subsidized with my life for the last three years. To be honest – at this point in production, it’s easy to get discouraged – trapped into thinking the last three years were a waste of my time. It feels like we’ve put something on layaway and made payments every month, but we’ll never get to bring it home …
Three years is a long time, especially in an age when we get instant feedback. We can drive up to a window and get food in seconds. We can instantly watch any one of thousands of movies or tv shows, and if we don’t like that one, we can change our minds and instantly watch another. It’s easy to forget why we do what we do when we are focused on tasks to finish something – especially when we’re insulated and isolated from the reason we are doing it in the first place.
We produced Becoming Fools to share it with an audience – not so that the audience will tell us we did a good job, but so that the audience would be inspired to do something to make a difference in the lives of at-risk youth.
I’m grateful for this letter of encouragement. It testifies the power of story, the importance of our mission, and reminds me that our efforts are not in vain. This individual blew wind into our sails with encouraging words … and financial partnership that helps us amplify authenticity and multiply the mission of other organizations serving on the ground around the world. The irony is that this person was moved to encourage us after watching Reparando on Hulu – a film we released three years ago – the same amount of time that we have invested in Becoming Fools. Maybe three years isn’t that long of an investment when we consider that stories can be passed down from generation to generation, with a return greater than we’ll ever know. It is worth it …
Athentikos will present Becoming Fools in a US screening tour beginning in spring 2014 to engage audiences in the issue of homeless and at-risk youth, and present opportunities to respond. Our global response partner for the US screening tour is AMG International, a Christian missionary agency that holistically serves in over 30 countries around the world. Becoming Fools audiences will be given opportunities to respond through the AMG Bridge to Life initiative, which protects at-risk youth from 3 years old to young adulthood.
• Family
• Health
• Protection/Restoration
• Education
• Discipleship
• Community
• Higher Education
• Employment
Examples of children in the AMG Bridge to Life Initiative
In addition to AMG, Athentikos will present unique opportunities to respond to the issues of at-risk youth and homelessness through a local organization in each city, including homeless shelters, counseling services, food banks, vocational training centers, and organizational cooperatives.
Italo Castro was a professional clown who became a father figure to countless street youth in Guatemala City. After his tragic death, professional entertainers rally around street youth to honor their fallen hero in a theatrical production on a distinguished stage. The odds are stacked against this dysfunctional troupe, but they’re determined. Perhaps they’re fools for believing it can be done. Or perhaps … Becoming Fools is exactly what they needed … because the journey of a fool leads to the heart of a child. The film was inspired by the passion, commitment and legacy of one man – Italo Castro. Imagine what is possible with a group of fools working together!
As I celebrate the fact that I am a dad, I also remember the purpose of our film. A year ago, street youth performed with professional entertainers on a Broadway stage as part of Becoming Fools. Here’s a bit of the opening narration:
“When I was a kid, it felt great when my parents came to watch me in a sport or play. Think back … Chances are, someone was there for you too, rooting you on with a smile. Someone was your number one fan, encouraging you to never give up.
But what if things were different?
What if … instead of rooting you on, your parents abused you … or what if they weren’t even there at all? How would that have changed your life? What opportunities would you have missed? For some, this “different reality”, really isn’t different. It’s all they’ve ever known …”
When I tuck them into bed at night, I can’t forget that there are a lot of kids in Guatemala (and around the world) who don’t sleep in a bed and didn’t celebrate Father’s Day with their dads. That’s why we produced Becoming Fools to help make a difference.
Prodigal Clown – Scene – 03 from Athentikos on Vimeo.
Will you join us in Becoming Fools and give a tax-deductible donation to help us release the film?
We were three days away from a big theatrical event called “Voz de las Calles”, which was the culmination of five months of rehearsals with street youth and professional entertainers. The road had not been entirely smooth. In fact, there were some major hurdles along the way. But, with the help of gracious volunteers, it looked like they were going to pull it off.
And then … three days before the show, the bottom dropped out …
One of the street youth with a leading role in the play had been in drug rehabilitation for a year. Three days before the show, he left his rehab and went back to the streets to consume drugs. My heart was broken. This guy wasn’t a “street youth” to me – he was a friend. I was rooting for him and his peers as they wrestled towards their goal of performing on a Guatemalan Broadway Stage.
We captured a beautiful story that walks a tightrope between tragedy and comedy.
Fast forward to today …
We feel much like we did a year ago. It seems impossible.
We never raised the money needed to finish the film. But we believed in the project, so we subsidized it with our blood, sweat, tears, and personal savings.
Will you join us in Becoming Fools and give a tax-deductible donation to help us release the film?
Tamagochy is a Guatemalan icon, made famous for his performances in the streets of historic Antigua, Guatemala. We saw him performing during our scouting trip in 2011 and were totally blown away by his creative talent. We first noticed the crowd surrounding him and wondered why everyone was gathered. We approached the crowd to explore and quickly realized they were watching a master at work. Before we knew it the crowd unglued us as more people joined behind us.
Being a filmmaker, I pulled out my camera to capture his antics. Of course, Tamagochy dialed right in and pulled me into his show to be part of the act. I remember thinking, “It would be so great if someone like this was a part of Becoming Fools.” But at the time, we didn’t know much about the film. I didn’t want to prematurely invite him into something that wouldn’t pan out. So I decided to keep quiet. It was hard for me to walk away and not say anything because I could see Tamagochy’s potential. I regretted that decision for the rest of the scouting trip.
I pulled up Tamagochy’s footage after returning home and again felt regret for not reaching out to him. I couldn’t believe I met him personally and didn’t mention a single thing about the film. I didn’t get his contact info and I didn’t ask him to sign a release form either. So this footage was never going to see the light of day … And then …
About a month after returning home, I received an email from … Tamagochy …
He heard about the Becoming Fools project and wanted to help. I just sat there for a moment in awe of what happened. I hadn’t said a thing. I had no idea how to contact him. But that didn’t matter. Tamagochy contacted us!
Tamagochy is an absolute star when it comes to talent. But he didn’t come in with arrogance as a professional. He joined the team as a humble servant, volunteering his time because he understood the issues these youth were facing. He proved to be an incredible treasure for both the street youth and the Becoming Fools story.
If you are ever in Antigua, Guatemala, make sure you take some time to enjoy his street performance … and when he passes the hat, tip him well, knowing that you are helping an incredible artist continue to help make the world a better place.
Here’s a scene from the Becoming Fools Theatrical event with Tamagochy and Toñito – both are featured in the documentary, Becoming Fools.
Prodigal Clown – Scene – 02 from Athentikos on Vimeo.