Catherine’s Kindergarten is the story of a mother’s emotional journey to come to terms with the death of her only child, juxtaposed with her physical journey to a Nepalese mountain village to open a school in memory of her daughter.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Kaye Cleave

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

I never set out to make a film. Ten years after my daughter died, I was living in San Francisco by chance and met Prakash, a young Nepalese student. He wanted to build schools in his remote mountain village and the surrounding area in Western Nepal. I was inspired by his dream and wrote a children's picture book, A Kangaroo Tale, to raise funds to build a kindergarten. Then I traveled with Prakash to his village to choose the site for the school. Once the building was completed, Prakash invited me to come again and open the Catherine Kindergarten and Hostel. I was 68 years old at the time and knew how gruelling the journey was; I decided to invite a young friend of mine to accompany me and document the trip. When James and I returned to the USA and viewed the footage, we realised we had a much bigger story to tell.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

The film is about joy, and love and the heart break of loss. It shows us how we can hold both the joy and the grief in our hearts; how we can strengthen our resilience and accept the randomness of life.

It's about being human.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The emotional and physical journey the mother goes on to accept the loss of her only child, touches on her personal grief and anger and guilt but equally touches on the universal experience of being human.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

It began as a simple travel documentary and over time James and I developed it into a deeply authentic, honest and inspiring story.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Here are a sample of reviews

Catherine's Kindergarten is something really special, one of those films that I'm now bothering my friends and family about, saying "Hey, WATCH THIS, I promise you'll thank me.” Congratulations, I believe this film will have a positive effect on the world.

Chris Bauer, Rude Horse Productions

OMG, Catherine’s Kindergarten blew us away. We cried. We felt your pain. We were awed by the cinematography of the mountains in Nepal. What an incredible story. This should be seen by everyone going through hard times. How to make joy from pain.

Susan Liroff, Spitfire Graphics

Catherine’s Kindergarten is exquisite and profoundly moving. Deepest thanks for creating this work of such beauty, depth, warmth, crushing pain, joy, gratitude and stunning honesty. What a gift to the world. You show us how to live with dignity and compassion when our hearts are truly broken.

Peggy Schoedinger, Physiotherapist, Boulder, CO

Bravo! The artistic choices are superb; a great flow and rhythm of interlacing video, photos, and interviews! Wonderfully honest writing too; the nuances of feelings, the clarity of thought, and your lovely voice made the film's journey perfect. The sound and music choices also enriched the film. They can easily be too sentimental, flattening the emotional depth, but not here. I want as many people as possible to see Catherine’s Kindergarten and follow this path with you.

Jeanne Galleo, San Francisco artist

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

At first, I was hesitant to release the film into the public domain, aware I was making myself extremely vulnerable --exposing something so raw and personal-- but the surprise for me is how much the film has touched people in a good way from all walks of life, regardless of age, gender, race or sexuality. It's an honor to know it's having a positive effect in the world and I feel grateful to those who have taken the time to let me know it's made a difference to them, giving hope and tools to use when dealing with grief.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

I'm hoping it will spark conversations about loss, and grief and death

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

sales agents, and buyers and distributors

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

The topics covered in the film relate to all who are experiencing complicated grief in these difficult and uncertain times with COVID and global warming.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Talk about a loss you've experienced?
What would you do if your greatest love died?
How do you feel about facing your own death?
Are you comfortable supporting someone in grief?

Would you like to add anything else?

Thank you, these questions have invited me to think deeply and mindfully

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm currently working on a TV series, a comedy/fantasy/drama called Aging Disgracefully

Interview: July 2021

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Catherine’s Kindergarten

Length:

1 hour 10 minutes

Writer/Director/Producer Kaye Cleave

Key Cast:

Kaye Cleave, Catherine Cleave, Prakash Bista

Looking for:

distributors

More info:

catherines-kindergarten.com

kaye-cleave.com