Am I Broken? – Trailer from Paul Killebrew on Vimeo.

 

AM I BROKEN? is an unflinching look at a revolutionary philosophy in the treatment and education of the most broken children flung from the public school systems–and the teachers who guide them on their way back.

In early fall 2009, a cohesive group of impassioned educators, filmmakers, parents and students at the Children’s Institute for Learning Differences (CHILD) School on Mercer Island, Washington embarked on a groundbreaking cinematic journey into the unknown with one question: Could they shine a light one of the darkest corners of our educational system today by training their lens on the very children we most often discard?

Believing the teachers and staff to be the unsung heroes in the progress of these profoundly disturbed children, the documentary filmmakers let cameras roll within the classrooms at CHILD for one entire academic school year. Nothing was censored, no footage reviewed by faculty or parents. Under the umbrella of mutual trust and respect, everyone involved believed a greater understanding would come from chronicling their work without a filter or agenda.

18 months later, what has emerged is a story of unfettered joy, pain, setback and triumph along the way to extraordinary achievement.

AM I BROKEN? is the story of their hard won victories while navigating everyday life.