'Born into Brothels,' a film documenting the lives of nine children in the Red Light District of Calcutta through their own photography, was shown Friday night at the Humanities Building.
The children, who all come from homes of prostitution, were given cameras to photograph their everyday surroundings. Zana Briski, one of the directors, lived in the brothels among the children and their mothers, and was showed the film and held a question and answer forum.
Many of the children had accepted it as fact that they had no future outside the Red Light District.
'One has to accept life as being sad and painful, that's all,' said Tapasi, a child in the film.
But, the children were light-hearted considering what life had given them, according to Maren Heiberg, worker from Cambodia.
'Even though they live in tough situations, they have smiles on their faces,' Heiberg said.
Briski used the photographs taken by the children and auctioned them off in New York City. The money they raised was used to send many of the children to boarding schools in Calcutta'one of their only chances at getting a decent education.
'We don't have the money to live, let alone study,' said Avijit, another child in the film.
The nine featured children all lived in impoverished homes where their mothers and grandmothers ran businesses of prostitution. Some of the children also worked to help support the family. Most children who came from homes of prostitution were not allowed into boarding schools and if they were HIV-positive there was no chance of admission.
Briski initially went to Calcutta intending to work on women's issues. But once she was there, the children approached her and were eager to learn. She started teaching a class on photography and their work was eventually exhibited at a bookstore in Calcutta.
'It was such a moment of pride for these children who were told to be ashamed of who they are,' Briski said.
An update reel was also shown after the main film, showing many of the children now attend or have been accepted to boarding schools in their area. Avijit used to say there was no 'hope' in his future. He now attends one of the most prestigious high schools in the United States. The lives of these nine children were inspiring and, as Heiberg said, 'You could see that they were special from the beginning.'
