By John Wildman
AFI FEST Daily News Staff

Patrick Davidson (THE WORLD WE WANT)

Imagine coming up with an idea or taking concrete action to make a positive change in your world. And, no – we’re not talking about separating bottles and cans from your trash for recycling or giving money to Sarah McLachlan to feed those sad eyed dogs and cats she puts in front of the camera. Nothing wrong with that. It’s great if you do that and other similar acts of good will.

But, no – we’re talking about attempting to clean a polluted river system in your community, tackling the unhealthy consumption of fatty foods by the kids in your school system or even creating a new constitution by which your town should live by. Stuff like that.

Well, while you are imagining doing those things, several teenagers worldwide beat you to the punch because they DID those things. Kids. It’s inspiring, even in a cynical world. And Patrick Davidson’s film THE WORLD WE WANT, doesn’t stop there. It also delivers another message that frankly, is a relief in these times: Put a bunch of kids from different parts of the globe, many of which speak different languages, together in a dance hall, a soccer field, or even a friendly competition of who can make a bigger difference in changing their world, whatever. What will ultimately result is the entire lot of them will befriend each other and just be kids – together. And you have to think, that IS the world we want.

THE WORLD WE WANT
7:00 p.m. November 8 @ Mann 6
Patrick Davidson will attend the screening and participate in a Q&A afterward.

1 After a successful career as the Disney Channel topper, what inspired you to become a documentary director?
I am a storyteller. For me the ultimate form of storytelling is a motion picture, especially a documentary film that excites and inspires people. So, after producing a number of television programs I wanted to take on the challenge of creating a documentary film, and I believed that the stories of these inspiring young people in THE WORLD WE WANT were worthy of the big screen.

2 Of all the kids you interviewed and got to know over the course of making THE WORLD WE WANT, whom did you want to adopt afterward?
Well, that’s a first for that question. Since my wife is the co-producer who traveled with me to the 8 countries, I suppose I need her input.

Actually, none of these kids need to be adopted – they all come from loving families and love where they live. But what we want to do is to stay in touch with them, and to follow their lives—and that is happening. We get emails almost every week from kids in India, Colombia and other countries. I want to keep in touch because having spent a lot of time with them and seeing them in action, I know they are destined for wonderful things.

One example. Ekram Awadallah is one of the girls in Jordan. She is extremely bright and absolutely relentless. Her dream is to become a doctor and she wants to study in Los Angeles because, among other things, this is where they shoot “ER” and that’s her favorite show. I expect her to realize her dream and then return to Jordan and become the head of the health organization, Secretary of State, or something else.

3 What is the best thing about having your film at AFI FEST?
t’s hard to say what is best because there are so many good things. If pressed I’d say the wonderful support of the entire AFI organization. They love films and really care about me, the filmmaker. It seems like everyone I talk to at AFI knows all about my film. In an early interview, set up by AFI, you knew all about the film and talked about individual scenes and moments that touched you. It may seem obvious, but with a major film festival with more than 100 films, I am amazed. I am overwhelmed with the support.

Second (if I get a second) is the tremendous exposure THE WORLD WE WANT has received because of AFI FEST. We have a great day and time for the premiere (Saturday, November, 8 at 7PM), plus the film was selected by AFI and the Skirball education program to screen for two additional audiences of teenagers— 300 kids each. This is huge because kids this age one of the primary targets for the film. My point: Without AFI this would never have happened.

4 Honestly, how much “real change” do you think the kids affected and how much (in the various cases shown) do you believe were officials playing to the camera?
Honestly, I think we see a lot of real change and in other cases the start of real change. Of course, officials were playing to the camera a bit. I’ve never interviewed any politician who wasn’t— its part of the DNA. But the difference here is that time after time the official was blindsided by the kids. The kids kept after them, they wouldn’t give up and let the official off the hook (unlike what most adults do). The kids don’t take no for an answer and demand a response. Very quickly the officials realized that these kids were serious and it wasn’t just a little photo op; so they had to take them seriously.

Often times I call the kids the Trojan Horse—they can get in any room in the world. Think about it, if you call a member of congress, a senator or governor and say, “I have a few 12 year olds who want to meet with you.” The official will almost always say, “ Sure, I’d like to meet them.” What’s the risk? These are kids, right? But if you call and say I have a group of 20 year olds who want to meet with you, the official will want to know what the topic is, what do they want, and more.

These young teenagers can get in the room and then fearlessly make their case and present their demands.

One more thing: When you talk about change, don’t get hung up on immediate change, some changes take a bit of time. The kids you see in this film are just getting started. They know how much power they have as individuals and especially as a group. They may not have accomplished all their goals today— they won a lot, but not everything. The thing is, they won’t stop. I’m betting on them staying with it to create the world they want in the future.

5 Do you think the Project Citizen International Showcase should include a bathing suit section to go along with the talent competition or would that be awkward since we’re talking about teenagers?
Rude! Only if the judges wear bathing suits, as well, and that would be way too ugly a sight for the kids.

6 If you couldn’t make films, what would your third career choice be (since this is your second, more or less)?
Actually you could say that is my third career. My first career was as a social worker counseling troubled kids, drug addicts and families. Next was the career in television that included a rather eclectic variety of productions and being the head of programming for the Disney Channel for a number of years. Now I’m a documentary filmmaker. So what’s next? Who knows? I never planned any of this so far. Like most people, I have a few novels bouncing around inside my head, fighting to get out. I think running a film festival might be fun and quite frankly, a lot of people have asked me to teach high school or community college classes - which would be a great challenge and a lot of fun.

7 What recent documentaries have made an impact on you?
There are a lot of them. A few that come to mind might not qualify as recent, but they stand out and show the range of my interest: BOYS OF BARAKA Boys is stunning and very powerful film making on the other hand. WEST BANK STORY is just so clever— it seems like it would have been great fun to make. And I should mention SPELLBOUND, because in some ways it was an early catalyst for THE WORLD WE WANT–a very simple story that’s all about the kids.

8 Did the group that ultimately won the competition surprise you, or did you see them as the front runners all along?
The day I visited Ross Bethio, Senegal and met the kids and saw the polluted river, I thought it was a story that would be difficult to beat. Its tough to come up with a topic that is easier understood, more powerful and compelling than polluted water for a poor African village. That said, almost all of the other projects touched my heart and touched others as well. For example one of the biggest reactions to the film comes with the follow up on the Russian story— audiences are amazed at what the team accomplished in Samara. Likewise the story in Alejandría Colombia is very powerful.

One of the most rewarding things in the film for me is the reaction from the various teams during the voting at the world showcase. Senegal won the student choice award as Outstanding Program of the Year, but they weren’t alone. A few other programs got top votes from the kids.

9 Trying your best not to be biased, which film makes more of a positive impact on social-global relations: THE WORLD WE WANT or HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3?
It’s impossible not to be biased. I firmly believe that THE WORLD WE WANT will have a more significant impact on social-global relations than HSM3 - no question in my mind (and no offense Zac, Vanessa and the crew). Look at what the kids in THE WORLD WE WANT accomplished: forcing changes in Russia, Senegal, India and Senegal, raising awareness for change in India, the USA, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia.

Any kid can relate to them because they aren’t actors who were cast for a movie and directed take after take. The kids in THE WORLD WE WANT are real kids, who tackle really important problems and making a real difference. HSM3 is great entertainment – a really fun, feel good movie (as was HSM and HSM2), but from a “social-global relations standpoint” I’ll take THE WORLD WE WANT every time.

And here’s a thought: We’re just getting started. Thanks to AFI audiences will discover THE WORLD WE WANT and want to know more about the kids and their stories. And this is just the start. The program is in 65 countries. Imagine the impact when kids all over the world see THE WORLD WE WANT and want to do what Ajsa, Elena, Ekram, Faysal, Sayyantan, Douda, Kala and the others? Consistently, after watching the film kids say, “I want to do that. I want to do what those kids are doing. I want to make the world we want.”

10 Popcorn or candy?
Popcorn – no question. However, if the question was Popcorn or Ice Cream, then you’ll get a whole different answer.