Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America
Attend the Virtual Premiere June 24th 1-3pm ET
Starting at Zero explores the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have the opportunity to attain the American Dream.
Interview with Director/Producer Willa Kammerer
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
One day I got a call from one of the directors of the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, Elliot Steinberg. The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation builds on the legacy of three-time Best Picture winner Saul Zaentz’s celebrated career as an independent media entrepreneur, and true to Zaentz’s vision, is dedicated to improving outcomes for poor and vulnerable minority children in the US, exemplified by their flagship investment at Harvard Graduate School of Education: the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative. Elliot had recently traveled to Alabama to learn more about the state's pre-K program, which had quietly and consistently been ranked #1 in the country for over a decade. Elliot was interested in learning about how they built such a successful program, and we both thought it made for a good story. And so in December 2017, we traveled to Alabama and began our first interviews for what we thought would be a much shorter documentary just about Alabama. But once we started interviewing, we realized there was so much more to the story—that it had roots in North Carolina, and Georgia, and Mississippi, and other threads in Oklahoma and Montana and Chicago, and Omaha, and beyond. Before we knew it, we'd traveled around the country pursuing this question of "what is high quality” in early childhood education? Also, how do you accomplish it, and why is it so critical to our nation's current and future success?
It has been an honor and joy to partner with the Elliot, the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, and Harvard Graduate School of Education on this project, which we believe can make a real difference in the lives of young children, families, and society at large in our country. This is my first full-length (or really any length) documentary, and this project has become a template and proof-of-concept for the kind of partnerships I endeavor to build and social-impact driven documentaries I intend to pursue going forward.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
In the words of the First Lady of Virginia Pamela Northam, "The children of today are tomorrow's workforce," which is a guiding theme in our film. To ensure our future success, we need to take seriously the success of our children and families today.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Our film is focused on leadership principles and policy, however, these high-level themes are personalized and brought to life through footage from classrooms and interviews with teachers, parents, and children across the country.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
When we embarked on this project, we thought it was a much simpler story focused just on Alabama's pre-K program. But when we began interviewing, we realized that the story had roots in other states and that it was really a much more national story that we wanted and needed to tell.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
This film would not have been possible without the collaboration of many individuals, institutions, and organizations dedicated to early childhood who believed in the importance of this project and helped shape the film into what it is today. We look forward to sharing it with a wider audience soon!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Starting at Zero does not dwell on problems within the early childhood system, but instead is entirely focused on pragmatic, positive solutions. Some have observed that the format and framing are atypical in the land of documentaries, but we wanted to create something that would be as actionable as possible for policymakers and the early education field.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
We are honored to share Starting at Zero and the story of the film on the We Are Moving Stories platform. We hope to engage with new audiences who we may not have otherwise connected with, who will share in our vision for the future of early childhood education in America.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
We are eager to build as large an audience as possible for our June 24th 1-3pm ET public online premiere event at startingatzero.splashthat.com. We invite journalists to write about the film and contact us for more in-depth information and interviews; we invite festival directors to reach out to us about screening the film at your online or in-person festivals; we invite education-minded distributors who believe in this project and wish to bring it to a large audience to reach out about potential partnership. The Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation, producer of this film, in partnership with Harvard Graduate School of Education and Firestarter Interactive, do not seek funding or compensation for distribution but are guided by the goal of reaching a broad and diverse audience.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
Our goal in creating this film is to inspire governors and policymakers across the nation to invest in the development of high-quality early childhood learning systems in their respective states and to support this work with actionable guidance and resources. At the heart of the film is the affirmation that if children are given the opportunity to thrive in settings with caring, responsive adults, the returns to our society will be deep and long-lasting.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Why invest in early childhood education?
Would you like to add anything else?
The process of making of this film can only be described as a wonderful, fascinating, ever-evolving opportunity and journey. It has been an honor and joy to partner with the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation and Harvard Graduate School of Education on this project, which we believe can make a real difference in the lives of young children, families, and society at large in our country.
Of course, this film would also not have been possible without the talent of our team, to whom I am deeply grateful: Executive Producers Stephanie Jones, Ph.D. and Nonie Lesaux, Ph.D., Consulting Producer Lauren Gaffney, Director of Photography and Editor Matthew Ziegler, Associate Producer Annie Glidden, Assistant Camera Jake DeNicola and Alexander Sutula, Designer David Miller, and Music Composer Aaron Steinberg. It's taken a village, and we could not have brought this vision to life without everyone's contributions.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
We believe that the future is digital, and we are now focused on building a Netflix-like platform for early learning films as part of the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative including Starting at Zero, Tomorrow's Hope (a "sister film" also produced by the Foundation), and others.
Beyond that, Director Willa Kammerer is always exploring projects and partnerships at the intersection of storytelling and social impact and is committed to continuing to use filmmaking as a tool to improve the wellbeing of people and the planet.
Interview: May 2020
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
Starting at Zero: Reimagining Education in America
Starting at Zero explores the power of investing in high-quality early childhood education so that all children and families have the opportunity to attain the American Dream.
Length: 1:02:23
Director: Willa Kammerer
Producer: Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation
About the writer, director and producer:
WILLA KAMMERER is a documentary director and producer based in Providence, RI, and runs the creative agency Firestarter Interactive. Willa is committed to using film and storytelling as a tool to improve the wellbeing of people and the planet and has deep experience working with education institutions, nonprofits, and foundations to bring this vision to life. Starting at Zero is her first feature-length documentary.
Starting at Zero was produced by the SAUL ZAENTZ CHARITABLE FOUNDATION, which builds on the legacy of three-time Best Picture winner Saul Zaentz’s celebrated career as an independent media entrepreneur. True to Zaentz’s vision, the Foundation is dedicated to improving outcomes for poor and vulnerable minority children in the US, exemplified by their flagship investment at Harvard Graduate School of Education: the Saul Zaentz Early Education Initiative.
Looking for: journalists, film festival directors, distributors
Facebook: Starting at Zero
Twitter: @StartingatZero_
Instagram: @startingatzerofilm
Hashtags used: #StartingAtZeroFilm #childcare #earlylearning #earlyeducation #teachersfollowteachers #teachersofinstagram #teacher #documentary #filmphotography #cinema #storytelling #filmmaking #film
Website: www.firestarterix.com
Other: startingatzerofilm.com
Made in association with: Produced by Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation in Partnership with Harvard Graduate School of Education and Firestarter Interactive
Funders: Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Public online premiere event June 24th, 2020 1-3pm ET
Sign up for event updates: www.startingatzerofilm.com