Born into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids

Some weeks ago I found an amazing documentary on YouTube which turned out to have won the Academy Award in 2005.

The title is called “Born into Brothels” and it’s about a group of children who were born in the Red Light District of Sonagachi, Calcutta. 

Zana Briski is the woman who made that outstanding documentary happen. She is a photographer and wanted to take pictures of prostitutes in Calcutta. Very soon she found out about the many children living in the Red Light District there and she decided to get in touch with them. The children liked her immediately and they became close friends. She started to teach them photography and gave every child a camera so that they could roam the streets and take pictures of what seemed interesting for them. In fact it turned out that some of these kids had a natural talent. The documentary shows also lots of photos taken by the children and some of them really captured the atmosphere and the way it must be like to live in the Red Light District.
Of course it also shows the negative lifestyle and the terrible problems these children have to face every day. 

Personal opinion:

The documentary covers a topic that is so sad and terrible that I think you should watch it. Take your time. It’s important.

Watching these kids going through their daily routine is heart-rending and I found myself crying many times. But the thing I admire the most about them is the fact that they are more grown up than many of the people I know. They are so young but still so intelligent. 

At one point I remember a small boy talking about his father. He said that his father was once a feared and strong man. But when he started to do drugs he became so thin and absent-minded that no one would take him seriously anymore. Even though his father seemed to live in a different world and didn’t take care of his child, the young boy said: “Still, I try to love him.” Think about that sentence! 

Link to documentary:

http://youtu.be/_kyXFr2g1x8