TEN9EIGHT: An interview with filmmaker Mary Mazzio

In America, a kid drops out of school every 9 seconds. What if they didn’t?

This is the compelling question behind award-winning filmmaker Mary Mazzio’s newest project TEN9EIGHT, a thought provoking film which tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens (of differing race, religion, and ethnicity) from Harlem to Compton and all points in between, as they compete in an annual business plan competition run by the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship (NFTE).

This film introduces us to a number of young people who all have goals, dreams, and drive. As we learn their life stories, we also learn about what they want about their future.

There is an urgency illustrated with this film that’s balanced with a raw truth telling. This balance really makes the film stand out. It’s clear within 12 minutes that this isn’t some hokey motivational video. These are real people.

One great example is the story of Rodney Walker of Chicago tells the story of how he and his 10 brothers and sisters were put into foster care as children — he was 5. His brothers all ended up in bad situations, but Rodney ended up on the Dean’s List at Morehouse.

As I watched, I quickly understood what I was witnessing. These are the kids we keep hearing we need more of. These are the kids that normally DON’T have documentaries done about them. I saw promise, but I also saw DRIVE. I believed these kids believed what they were saying, and in what they’re doing. There’s a lot of slogan-slinging in TEN9EIGHT, but it’s all the RIGHT slogans. It’s all the stuff we’ve heard, but most of us ignore. This is what happens when good teaching catches on. This is transformative education.

I thought about when the last time was I’d seen a documentary that flowed like this, and I was lead back to the same director — Mary Mazzio. In 2004, she did a film called “Lemonade Stories”, about extraordinary entrepreneurs and their mothers. “Lemonade Stories” has some great moments from Sir Richard Branson, Art Blank, and Russell Simmons. As I watched TEN9EIGHT, I wondered how many of the future extraordinary entrepreneurs I was listening to.

I had a conversation with Mary as exclusive free screenings of TEN9EIGHT for teachers and students began at some of the 8 cities the film opens in tomorrow.

TBBO: It’s been a while since your last film. How did this one come about?

MM: The gasoline got poured into the fuel tank two years ago with our friends from Templeton Foundation, but I’d been working on two other projects since then. One was a series which fell through, and the other was a special film on entrepreneurship for a Wall Street firm. But the Templeton Foundation came up with a production grant that really made it possible, and made it possible in a meaningful way.

I didn’t want this to be some sad little crappy-looking documentary. People have come up to me and asked “how come you didn’t shoot video? Because it’s supposed to be in the inner city, so it’s supposed to look all gritty and bleek.” But I’m like “Uhh – I think that’s the OPPOSITE of what we’re trying to say here!”

You know, I’ve always used film. I’m old school that way.

TBBO: So, that influenced the look of the film?

MM: Everything that you see on the inner city, whether it’s in news coverage or documentaries…it’s so grim and desolate. You wanna throw your hands up and say “well, what can I do as a human?” But the kids that I met for this film were like every other kid. their STARTING LINE was way, way back, by virtue of the ravages of poverty and all that’s gone on in their lives, but these kids wanna make something of their lives! And what kid doesn’t, right?

At the end of the day, these kids are hopeful. Or they learn to be hopeful.

So I shot on film because these kids deserve it! It’s way more expensive than video, but I shoot on film. Why would I switch and do some crappy video project just because I’m going to the inner city?

TBBO: How long did the film take to make?

MM: The funding came through in March 2008, we started shooting in April 2008, and we’re launching now. So it’s been a really good 18 month journey!

TBBO: How has the film been received?

MM: We’ve been overwhelmed! I tell you, the kind of emails I’ve been getting from all over the country…I’ve heard from a Juvenile justice who’s working with 91 thousand gang members in California. Educators working on the reservation with Native American kids. I’ve heard from the Federal Reserve of Minnesota! I’ve heard from a wide range of people interested in showing this film to their kids!

The best response we’ve gotten from audiences have been those with kids over 13. And that’s important, because we’ve found that the biggest dropout population is 9th graders.

TBBO: How did you end up doing a direct deal with AMC with no distributors?

The head of Sony Pictures Classics, Tom Bernard, and I had an ongoing dialogue for 6 months, where I’m telling him “you gotta take this film!” But, as YOU know, all the independent arms of the studios have imploded. Gone.

So I started working the Rolodex. I figured “If the mountain’s not gonna come to Mohammed, Mohammed better go find the mountain.”

And it turns out that a couple of friends of mine were on the board at AMC theaters. So I got in there. AMC saw the film and the president of programming, Bob Lenihan said to me “we are so often criticized for having inappropriate content for our urban audience. We need more inspirational and appropriate fare for our customers.”

So they offer me an exclusive deal. They have over 150 trailers circulating in the 8 cities we’re opening in. Our one sheets are up. This is hallowed space for big studios. So they are treating us like ‘Transformers”. And that’s UN-believable for a documentary of this subject – with NO stars in it! We have an unprecedented arrangement with AMC Theaters. When Gerry Lopez had become CEO of AMC ( see article ) we came in with the right film at a good time.

TBBO: What’s next for this film?

MM: We launch in 8 markets tomorrow. The film will be shown in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Washington DC, and Kansas City.

We also just locked down a deal with BET. You know the initiative BET and Viacom have with The Gates Foundation called “Get Schooled”? Well, the film will be on BET In January as a part of the initiative, and BET has plans to develop a series based on the film.

We also have a companion book coming around the same time from Scholastic! The book is written for kids by kids. It features the kids from the film in the book, and we’ve added some kids we couldn’t fit into the film.

On Monday we have a screening in DC with the President’s administration. The Secretary Of Education has already seen this film and loved it!

TBBO: This film does lend itself to political interpretation. How’s that been?

MM: This film touches on a subject the left and the right can come together on.

You know, the extreme left is going to view me as a capitalist tool, and the extreme right is going to view me as this wild liberal, but both sides agree that this works. The right is excited because it’s all about “pull yourself up by your bootstraps”. And the left is excited because it’s all about supporting education for these kids.

So if we can get the left and right to agree in one little space — that helps these kids — my job is done.

I think that this film is at a really interesting intersection politically and from an agenda standpoint.

TBBO: How can people get involved with what NFTE is doing? How can we make stories like these real in our own communities?

Well, this kind of education is working! People are starting to see it! So if we can get this kind of education into the areas where its needed, combined with other methods, we can do something about turning around the 1.2 million kids who are dropping out!

For more information about the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship, please visit www.nfte.com

- Daryle Lockhart