I am a huge fan of anthology films, and foreign films. And short films, and films by great directors. I’m also all about good causes and anything that helps children. So when I first heard about All the Invisible Children in my international film class, I knew I was going to enjoy it.

All the Invisible Children is an anthology about childhood. The films are segments about different children all over the world, children that don’t have a voice. It features 7 short films, from different directors.

This movie is absolutely unforgettable. It hits you at the very center of your heart, exposing many different dimensions of real life though the eyes of a child. It’s done in a beautiful way, with excellent directors like John Woo, Spike Lee, and Katia Lund.

The individual stories stand alone, but when you watch them as a whole, it gives you a sense of the state of the world, overwhelming feeling of both despair and hope.

One of the producers, Chiara Tilesi, came to visit my film class and talk about the making of this move. It was made in support by Unicef, who help fund the project, and their support was critical in securing the amazing array of talent involved in making the films.

The movie is dedicated to the millions of children who are suffering from the consequences of war, who are starving from hunger, and who do not have the opportunity to attend school. All the proceeds of the film go directly back into Unicef.

This first film is Tanza, about a child soldier in West Africa. It was directed by Mehdi Charef, from France.

Blue Gypsy, directed by Emir Kusturica, takes place is Serbia and Montenegro, about a boy in a gypsy family who gets out of juvenile detention.

Jesus Children of America is about a HIV positive girl, whose parents are also infected, as well as drug addicts. This was directed by Spike Lee and stars Rosie Perez.

Joao and Bilu was written and directed by Katia Lund, director of City of God. Its about a friendship between two street children in Sao Paolo.

Jonathan, directed by Ridley Scott and Jordan Scott, follows a war photographer looking back on his childhood.

Ciro follows two boys in Naples Italy, who steal a watch and spend the money on an amusement park.

Song Song and Little Cat follows two very different girls, one rich and one poor, and a porcelain doll that links the two. This is directed by famous action director John Woo.

The unfortunate part is that most people in the United State haven’t seen this movie, and probably won’t get the chance, since it was never picked up by a US distributer. According to the producers, the US market has no interest for this type of film, in theaters or on DVD, dispite having so many talanted and popular american directors. It has been released in almost every other DVD zone area, so if your not in the US, you can probably find it in your local movie store.

You can find clips of the movie on Youtube, but the quality is poor and maybe of the movies do not have subtitles.

Every month or so, search the internet for a legitimate source to download or purchase the DVD and I have found nothing so far. This film is very popular outside of the US. I know for a fact because its on regular rotation on Brazilian cable. I tried to buy the DVD in Rio but everywhere I go it was sold out!