KCET Airs Inspirational Documentaries 'School of My Dreams' and 'Girls of Daraja' May 9 at 10:30 PM

Two Short Films Show Remarkable

Work of Daraja Academy, a School for Girls Struggling with Poverty in Kenya, 

and What Happens Next 

Screens May 9 on opening night of the

Women's Independent Film Festival in Los Angeles followed by a panel discussion

on global issues around girls' education

BURBANK,

CA--April 23, 2013--"I

want to be an independent lady." "I want to be a doctor." "I want to be a

banker, accountant and dentist."  These

are the words of young students from Daraja Academy, a free all-girls boarding school in Kenya, and the

subject of the inspirational documentaries Girls of Daraja and

School of My Dreams,

premiering back to back on KCET May 9, 2013 at 10:30 p.m. PST.

Girls

of Daraja

and

School of My Dreams

by Emmy® award winning director/producer  Barbara Rick and Out Of The Blue Films, Inc., and Executive Producer Deborah Santana, draw viewers into the world of Daraja Academy, a secondary

boarding school located in the valley below Mount Kenya, north of Nairobi.  There, young girls receive a chance to

transcend poverty through

education.  Due to the financial circumstances

of their families, many young girls in the region are unable to afford the

costs of secondary schooling. Daraja Academy awards four-year annual scholarships to these exceptional

academically driven students and provides them other essentials like uniforms,

textbooks, pens and pencils. The films focus on the first 52 students--now

104--and how they excel in the classroom and in life.

"We are thrilled to be able to bring to light

this truly inspirational story, as well as the important issues surrounding

girls' education opportunities in nations struggling with poverty," said Bohdan

Zachary, vice president, Broadcast,

Syndication & Program Development for KCETLink.

In Girls of Daraja,

viewers meet students such as Cate, who bids farewell to her family and travels

along the dusty, cattle-lined road away from her village toward campus with her

backpack slung over her shoulders. Jenni Doherty, the Academy's founder, meets

her with open arms.  "Welcome to school!"

she says, embracing Cate.

The film emphasizes that while

girls are given an incredible educational opportunity to have a life beyond

poverty through their Daraja experience--which means "bridge" in Swahili--it's

really what they decide to do with their education that counts.  As Academy principal Jason Doherty puts it: "They're standing on a precipice, and want to be on other side but had

no access... How they cross that bridge is up to them."

With the sequel short film

School of My Dreams

, which makes its west coast premier on KCET,

viewers will follow the students' progress after their Daraja experience into

real life.  "I want to change my

community, I want to change Kenya, and I want to change the world!" one student

proclaims.

Girls of Daraja and School of My Dreams have been

awarded opening night honors at the Women's Independent Film Festival on May 9,

and there will be a reception and filmmaker panel discussion to follow on

global education for girls.

Girls

of Daraja

and

School of My Dreams,

which air on KCET the same night of the WIFF screening, are both directed and produced by Barbara Rick. Executive

Producer Deborah Santana is an author, philanthropist, and founder of Do A Little Foundation, a nonprofit

dedicated to the health, education, and happiness of women and girls around the

world. 

Both

films' cinematography and sound is by Jim Anderson, and the

editors are Laure Sullivan and Ann Collins, with Julia Wrona as assistant

editor/associate producer.  Featuring new

music by Salvador Santana and others.

KCET airdates:

-         

Thursday, May 9 at 10:30 p.m.

###

ABOUT KCET

On-air, online and in the community,

KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern

and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local

programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the

world. KCET currently produces the Emmy®, duPont-Columbia and Peabody Award-winning SoCal Connected, a hard-hitting

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of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming,

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community events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a service of KCETLink.

ABOUT

OUT OF THE BLUE FILMS

Out of The Blue

Films, Inc. is an Emmy Award-winning documentary nonprofit dedicated to

exceptional storytelling that explores, articulates, and celebrates humanity.

Designated a

501(c)(3) for public service through the artistry of film, we have received

financial support from the following for our groundbreaking films on spirituality,

justice, journalism, LGBTQ equality, girls' education, race relations,

HIV/Aids, creativity, music, and women's rights:

Mary Catherine

Bunting, Ellen DeGeneres, Do A Little Foundation, Jane Fonda, Tom Fontana, Ford

Foundation, Andrew Goodman Foundation, Agnes Gund, John S. & James L.

Knight Foundation, N. Peter Hamilton, Moby, Bill Moyers, Deborah Santana, Susan

Sarandon, Sexton Foundation, Trudie Styler, van Ameringen Foundation, Whitehead

Foundation, and many more.

Out of The Blue Films, Inc. is run

by founder Barbara Rick, an accomplished filmmaker, writer, and journalist with

more than twenty years experience in award-winning documentary filmmaking and

television news.

The Out of The

Blue Films Board of Directors and Advisory Board include leading

philanthropists, journalists, filmmakers, and media professionals.