Airing Fridays at 5:00 p.m.

FILMS BYKIDS is a series that pairs accomplished filmmakers with teenagers from around the world to create compact and compelling personal documentaries. These film shorts educate and encourage understanding about universal issues through the lens of intimate, firsthand storytelling. Each documentary addresses global issues that significantly affect the life experiences of countless people, as well as explores actionable solutions to those obstacles.

Episodes: 

#301: “Against the Current” - Friday, July 2 at 5p.m.
17-year-old Daunnette Moniz-Reyome, who lives on the Umoⁿhoⁿ Native American reservation in Nebraska, interviews youth and elders against the backdrop of a ceremonial powwow. Moniz-Reyome shares her family’s journey to retain the sacred rituals and values of their culture and the ways in which her community is healing generational trauma and mental health issues with strength and dignity.

#302: “L’Chaim” - Friday, July 9 at 5 p.m.
19-year-old Semon Shabaev is part of a vibrant Jewish community in Germany. Despite his country’s dark history of genocide and a rise in antisemitism, he embraces his German-Jewish identity. Shabaev shines light on how Germany is addressing its past, and how his generation looks to the future. 

#303 “Faith’s World” - Friday, July 16 at 5 p.m.
16-year-old Faith Guilbault from Baltimore, Maryland, who is visually impaired and has cerebral palsy, is resilient, adventurous and determined to realize her dreams. Guilbault shines light on her world, inviting viewers to focus on the similarities rather than differences between people living with and without a disability.

#304: “Buddhism, Bhutan and Me” - Friday, July 23 at 5 p.m.
18-year-old Rinzin Jurmey from Bhutan decided to become a monk when he was 11 years old. As he travels between his monastery, mountain village and the city, he meets with hip-hop dancers, video game enthusiasts and sports fans to understand the intersection of tradition and pop culture. Jurmey documents the ways in which he--and his country--are striving to preserve ancient Bhutanese practices while embracing globalization.