Documentary Shows Memphis Student Overcoming Obstacles With Art

(Memphis) Rhodes College Center for Outreach is using art to changes lives in Memphis.

The group is premiering the documentary Far Away Next Door this weekend about an experience that changed everyone involved’s life.

Some students spend their summer lounging by the pool or playing XBox, but for 16 students from the Hollywood area, the summer of 2011 was life changing.

Students from Rhodes College challenged them to put on their own play, and worked with them in a local program to make it happen.

Not only did they put on the play, but executive producer Liz Daggett says they also gained self-confidence and friendships, “It was just amazing to see how their lives went into the play and how the play impacted their lives.”

This life changing experience was filmed over the summer and will be shown in Far Away Next Door.

“A lot of the film is about how they gained confidence or maybe how they worked through family issues or troubles they were having through this play so you really see that in the documentary,” said Daggett.

Rhodes’ student documentary makers have kept up with the middle school students and still work with them through writing workshops.

Far away next door is about fifty minutes long and will premiere Saturday night at 6:00 PM at Cypress Middle School.

The screening will be free and Daggett hopes the documentary will make it to public television.