Empowering the powerless with I am Somebody

The Cambridge Film Festival runs from October 19 to 26 this year, showcasing a host of new films from around the world. In the company of Kelly MacDonald, Saoirse Ronan, Paul Mescal and other big names set to grace Arts Picturehouse screens, the aim of Jamilla van der Hulst’s documentary is heartwarming. I’m somebody instead focusing on a group of young people connected to the street as its stars. When I meet Jamilla, she tells me that her goal is to “raise attention to the plight of street children.”

I’m somebody follows three teams in the lead-up to the World Street Kids Championships in Qatar. The World Cup, organized by Street Child United, not only offers disadvantaged children the opportunity to express themselves through sport, but has also become a powerful international platform for raising awareness and support for young people living and working on the streets. The title of the documentary aptly reflects the mission of Street Child United. The children van der Hulst and her team follow have suffered from poverty and violence, and sport is largely seen as a luxury their families cannot afford. Representing their country at the World Cup gives them an invaluable sense of confidence, allowing them to create a new identity for themselves based on pride and community.

“Representing their country at the World Cup gives them an invaluable sense of confidence.”

“It’s such a positive, uplifting event,” Jamilla tells me, “there are so many stories to tell.” Jamilla’s involvement with Street Child United began in 2014, after the Brazilian women’s national team appeared in the film. Streetkids United II. While Street Child United events continue to take place, Jamilah intends to continue documenting them. “We go there to film a short story and come back with a whole documentary. There are 28 teams from 25 different countries, and you could make a whole documentary about each of these teams.”

However, in this particular film, Jamilla focuses on three specific teams: the Pakistan boys team, the Brazilian girls team and the Palestinian girls team, for whom this is the first time they are participating in the World Cup. including two-time Oscar winner Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy in Pakistan and Maria Clara Costa in Brazil, who directed Streetkids United II

. “Maria already knew Drika, so it’s nice that she knew the project and knew some of the girls.” Drika was part of the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 2014 and now works as a young leader with Street Child United. Her journey from player to leader is a clear example of the real impact the project has on the children involved. Drika’s infectious energy shines throughout the documentary; she is a natural leader and cares passionately about the team. Jamila tells me about the film’s world premiere at the Festival do Rio, an international film festival in Rio de Janeiro: “When (the Brazilian team member) saw the documentary, she was very excited and walked straight up to Drika and hugged her. You can see the impact it has on these kids.”

“Dricka’s infectious energy shines throughout the documentary.”

While the film sheds light on the difficulties children face living on the streets, it is ultimately the children’s personalities that make it such a joy to watch. I ask Jamilla what it was like working so closely with them. “There are a lot of emotions in the documentary – there is humor, there are happy moments, you experience all the emotions.” She fondly remembers the Brazilian team’s reaction to the premiere: “I told the people who bought tickets, ‘Just so you know, this is going to be a big show because it’s the first time they’ll see themselves on screen.’ And it was a loud show, they were laughing and screaming, and it was a lot of fun to watch.”

Street Child United started right here in Cambridge, the hometown of John Rowe, the organization’s CEO, so Jamilla hopes the festival will attract more attention to the project. “I just hope it gets the wide audience it deserves, not for me, but for the boys and girls in the documentary. This is such a positive event and a positive story and I think this is what we need at this time because there is so much suffering, negativity and division… I think a documentary like this can also show that we have there is a lot of things. together.”

I’m somebody will screen at the Cambridge Film Festival at the Arts Picturehouse on October 22 and 23.