Please tell us your thoughts about Long Way from Home. This film makes me so proud. AK I saw the film at the school the girls attended and that same night Sarah was there. I talked to her and we agreed that in every school there's always going to be that one clique that everyone wants to be in and that one girl that everyone likes and a whole bunch of nerds that don't even get noticed. You don't have to assimilate just to fit in with everybody. Just learn to love yourself and be comfortable in you're own skin.Be proud of who you are and where you come from. Coral I saw the film with my friends, and I've been thinking a lot about it. I can really relate to the girls. My mom saw it somewhere else. The other day we started to talk about it. I was so amazed that she could relate to the girls too. Sharon This Rocks Angela This was a wonderful film. It had alot of thoughts and feelings. It tells me what to expect in 9th grade. Isabel I want every young person of every culture to see this film in each other's comany -- to discuss and share their thoughts and hope that in time to come. the young ones can make a difference. This is a very powerful and important film. Grace Blake Kavery: Your film was inspiring, moving, and very brave. We were glad and honored to be in that room that night. It is a film I will see again with our daughter. Thank you. Julie Sandler-Friedman This is an amazing film! I've seen it three times now, and each time I discover something more. This movie should be playing everywhere across the country. It's something for all of us to see and hold onto. Robert I saw your film before you came to speak in Baruch College. I thought it was great because it depicted the reality of the society in America today. I am Jewish and speaking on behalf of my people, we expirience that kind of discrimination all the time. I feel that we need to be proud of our religion, culture and race and must learn to respect each other's differences. Thank you for making this wonderful film. Inna Vernikov The movie is a great inspiration to all who are going through similar struggles. Isabel I loved it! And I was so impressed by the way you approached the girls and won their trust. I'm white and Jewish. But I had some very similar experiences to the ones depicted in the film. A few decades ago, I entered an independent school as a seventh grader, and I also had no chance of being friends with the girls who were not new. They hung out in the bathroom and talked about boys. I made friends with the other new girls and we had the "brainy" reputation. My best friend was Greek-American. In terms of the curriculum, I took Ancient History and Modern European History and I don't think the Jews were mentioned once. And it never even occurred to me that they should be mentioned. In that regard, Sarah and Cindy were way ahead of me! Elisabeth A truly lovely film. When all is said and done, the three girls are, perhaps, the most privileged of their schoolmates --- the support they each have from their families, is ultimately the greatest of riches. Lois When I was an Asian-American in private school, the message I got at home and at school, was to work hard, be smart, and forget about everything else. It's nice to see Cindy talking and thinking about all the things I had no one to talk to about. I can't wait to show my daughter this film. linda Seeing the film for the second time was as moving and inspiring as the first. Sheree I go to a public school that's not in my neighborhood. There aren't a lot of African-Americans there and I understand what it's like for the girls in the film. School is hard anyway. A lot of work. A lot of tests. I'm glad you show that in your film. Tawana I'm a Muslim-American. Thank you for including me in your picture of America. Ali Powerful, poignant, inspiring. That's all I can say, because I'm still seeing this film and hearing the girls in my head. Larry This film is truly wonderful. It deserves an award. I was very moved by the girls and their experiences, their challenges and their fortitude. And the story is well-told. It has a wonderful flow. Transitions were masterful. As a parent and a writer, I enjoyed every aspect. Lisa I came to see your film “Long Way from Home,” at the Girls Inc. screening on Friday, December 3rd and it was absolutely wonderful and I wish I had seen it when I was 15. As a feminist, Women’s Studies graduate, and general appreciator of all things teenage girl I can’t say how moved I was by the girls’ intelligence, intuitiveness, bravery, and resilience and the way that you captured their spirits so honestly. Meghan Kearns Murray Ok,I admit I'm a rich, white parent. And I love this film. It makes me feel like if we all start thinking and working together, we can make a difference. Patricia I was a boy of color in my predominantly white private school. The film brought back a rush of feelings from that time that still hold true, in my experience as the only person of color in the management of the company where I work. John I really got to know and understand the girls. I feel like they're my children too. I have so much to talk (and think) about after seeing this film. All parents should see it. Sylvia If it is strange to see "Long Way From Home" that is becuase the highly intelligent, emotionally stoic teenage girl is beyond anomalous in mainstream media. Who is this strange creatire with her steel resolve and dexterous intellect? The film hilights the difference between the real life personalities of countless girls and young women and the denigrading stereotypes with which we are perpetually bombarded. Margareta I saw the film some time ago and I'm still thinking about it. I really understand the issues in the film, without having gone through the particular experiences of the three girls, because the film takes me back to being fourteen, being new, trying to fit in, trying to make a place for myself. It touches that spot in all of us. Barbara The film really spoke for me. I'm thinking of what Linda wrote. Everybody's focusing on multi-culturalism. But if that's what's going on, how come this country doesn't really feel multi-cultural? Ruben This is an extraordinary documentary about a very common human experience, partiularly prevalent in the United States. While schools today are focusing on the "subject of multi-culturalism", few educators get below the surface. Kavery has shown us through this beautiful film, the emotions and struggles of young people trying to connect, assimilate and yet maintain their cultural heritages. A must see film! Linda Kastner Chairperson of Fine Arts & Technology Dept. Garden City Public Schools on Long Island Linda Kastner What a powerful and moving film. The girls' ability to negotiate their way through the intense, conflicting pressures around them is a tribute to their strength and the fact that they were willing to open themselves up is a tribute to Kavery and the confidence she inspired in them. Margot I was blessed to have watched this powerful poignant film with my three graduating female students: One Carribean-American, one African-American and one who has struggled with reconciling her biological Brazilian identity with her adoptive identity. All were rivoted by the stories of these ninth grade girls. When the lights came up, almost in unison they pronounced, "Ms. Kaul got it so right." Shari This movie brought back memories of my own experience in school. I was emotionally so engrossed in the film that it is still resonating in my thoughts. Angela The film was great, powerfull and very relevant to the current state of affairs in our society. As a parent and a professional of color I am struck by the girls' drive to overcome the barriers. Martin What a powerful and heartfelt film! It is inspiring to see and feel the courage and intelligence with which these three young women face both the overt and the subtle barriers to acceptance of diversity. LONG WAY FROM HOME refutes common erroneous assumptions about cultural diversity. The film resonates far beyond the confines of elite education and challenges us all to open ourselves to communication and understanding across lines of race, culture, class, and gender. In a global society, there is no other choice. Vesna Neskow This film is so poetic, so riveting. I saw it a while ago in New Jersey, and it left me with so much. Thank you! James