Real Stories. Young Voices. Global Impact.

At BYkids, we hand the camera to the next generation. These films are lived experiences, translated into powerful short documentaries by youth who know their stories better than anyone else.

Every BYkids film offers a rare glimpse into another’s life – and invites empathy, reflection and action. Watch, share, and let these young voices change the way you see the world.

Against the Current

Against the Current

Directed by Daunnette Moniz-Reyome (USA), Mentored by Evan Mascagni
Native American teen activist 17-year-old Daunnette Moniz-Reyome shares her family's journey to retain the sacred rituals and values of their culture in the wake of centuries of loss due to disease, war and government policies.

Identity

Indigenous People

Representation

Student Activism

Traditional Culture

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Another World Is Possible

Another World Is Possible

Directed by Helena Marschall (Germany) Mentored by Anja Baron
At a fragile time, when inaction seems to bring us closer to an irreversible climate reality, young people are mobilizing to reverse global warming. ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE follows the work of Helena, who leaves no doubt that urgent action is imperative.

Climate Activism

climate change

Student Activism

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Beekeeper

Beekeeper

Directed by Keith Griffith III (USA) Mentored by Evan Mascagni
The 15-year-old beekeeper Keith Griffith III has embraced a mission: to spread the word about the ecologically critical honeybee. Rising temperatures, habitat loss and pesticides have disrupted bees’ ecosystems worldwide, threatening their very existence.

Eco Entrepreneurship

Environment

Sustainability

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Buddhism, Bhutan and Me

Buddhism, Bhutan and Me

Directed by Rinzin Jurmey (Bhutan) Mentored by Cat Papadimitriou
Rinzin Jurmey chose to join a monastery and dedicate his life to Buddhism at the age of 11, loving its rituals and traditions. Now 18, he moves harmoniously between mountain village and city, embracing tradition and pop culture, religion and hip-hop, prayer and video games.

Buddhism

Identity

Traditional Culture

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Displaced But Not Defeated

Displaced But Not Defeated

Directed by María Ceballos Paz (Colombia), Mentored by Susan Hoenig
María Ceballos Paz, a 16-year-old Colombian girl, has been living in displacement for the past nine years as a result of Colombia’s civil war.

Displaced Populations

Human Movement

Political Conflict

Refugees

War

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In ProductionExploring Identity

Exploring Identity

Directed by Ash Goldstein, Mentored by Angalis Field
A glimpse into the life of a gender-nonconforming/nonbinary teen in Colorado, who was adopted from China and is an activist around gender identity and equity in outdoor sports.

gender

gender identity

sports

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Faith’s World

Faith’s World

Directed by Faith Guilbault (USA) Mentored by Joyce Chopra
Sixteen-year-old Faith Guilbault from Baltimore, Maryland, loves skydiving, horseback riding, and has walked the runway at Fashion Week in New York City. She is also one of 61 million people in the United States living with a disability.

Ableism

Disability

Identity

Representation

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Fire In Our Hearts

Fire In Our Hearts

Directed by Directed by Jayshree Janu Kharpade (India) Mentored by Joyce Chopra
Jayshree Janu Kharpade (age 16) is one of 80 million tribal people fighting for an education in India. Like most girls from rural India, Jayshree never expected to get an education.

Developing World

Education

Social Justice

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Home Is Where You Find It

Home Is Where You Find It

Directed by Alcides Soares (Mozambique) Mentored by Dr. Neal Baer
Two renowned filmmakers, Chris Zalla (2007 Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner) and Neal Baer (Executive Producer of Law & Order: SVU), went to Maputo, Mozambique in August 2007, to help a child who had lost both parents to AIDS make a film about his life.

AIDS

Orphans

Pandemic

Public health

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I Could Tell You ‘Bout My Life

I Could Tell You ‘Bout My Life

Directed by Directed by Michael Martin (USA) Mentored by Chiemi Karasawa
When Michael Martin got arrested at age 17, a judge sentenced him to jail time on Rikers Island.

Expression

Juvenile Justice

Social Justice

Storytelling

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L’Chaim

L’Chaim

Directed by Semon Shabaev (Germany) Mentored by Anja Baron
Nineteen-year-old Semon Shabaev is part of a thriving Jewish community in Berlin, Germany. Despite his country’s dark history, Shabaev embraces his religious and cultural heritage.

Antisemitism

Prejudice

Racism

Traditional Culture

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Submit your film idea!

The BYkids FDF is now open for applications.The BYkids FDF (Film Development Fund) is our newest initiative - an annual open call inviting youth (ages 10–20) to submit original ideas for a short documentary film. The Current FDF theme is Climate Action
Submit A Film Idea
Submit your film idea!
My Beautiful Nicaragua

My Beautiful Nicaragua

Directed by Edelsin Linette Mendez (Nicaragua) Mentored by Joyce Chopra
12-year-old Edelsin Linette Mendez lives with her siblings and parents on their small coffee farm in the beautiful highlands of Nicaragua. This is the first film for Season Two of Films BYkids on PBS broadcasting in 2017.

climate change

Environment

Sustainability

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My Country Is Tibet

My Country Is Tibet

Directed by Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari (Tibet) Mentored by Dirk Simon
The King of Tibet, living in exile in Dharamsala in Northern India, is the 17-year-old Namgyal Wangchuk Trichen Lhagyari. As a teenager, he represents a new generation of young Tibetans who are caught today between the peaceful traditions of Tibetan Buddhism and a desperate desire to fight for the freedom of their people.

Buddhism

China

Culture

Politics

Tibet

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Out of Aleppo

Out of Aleppo

Directed by Directed by Mohammad Shasho (Syria) Mentored by Anja Baron
Mohammad Shasho (age 17) made the perilous journey from Syria to Berlin and struggles with his family to set up a new life. Mentored by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Anja Baron, Mo finds his own voice and gives voice to his fellow refugees.

Refugee Crisis

Syria

War

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Poet Against Prejudice

Poet Against Prejudice

Directed by Directed by Faiza Almontaser (USA) Mentored by Albert Maysles
Faiza Almontaser is a 17-year-old senior attending the Brooklyn International High School. Raised as a religious Muslim, she often struggles to reconcile her cultural background with the realities she meets as a high school student in one of New York City’s most socially dynamic neighborhoods.

Bullying

Identity

Islamaphobia

Muslims in post/9-11 America

Muslims Post 9/11

Racism

Student Activism

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Return Date: Unknown

Return Date: Unknown

Directed by Tymur Tsapliienko (Ukraine) Mentored by Rom Barnea
Tymur Tsapliienko, 17, a Ukrainian refugee, shares his view on the cost of war and the price of the world’s dependence on fossil fuels.

Displaced Populations

Fossil Fuel Dependence

Human Movement

Journalism

Russo-Ukraine War

Student Activism

Ukraine

War

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Seeds of Life

Seeds of Life

Directed by Diya Payal (India) Mentored by Camilla Becket
In this BYkids short documentary Diya Payal, a 14-year-old in India, takes a look at what sustainable agriculture is and how it can help us to grow our food in harmony with nature.

climate change

Environment

India

Regenerative Farming

Sustainability

Sustainable Farming

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In ProductionShine, My South Africa

Shine, My South Africa

Directed by Siya Msutu Mentored by Anja Baron
Witness a young woman’s journey of healing in a small Black township in Cape Town, South Africa, where the legacy of apartheid still looms large.

FUNDING STATUS 20% FUNDED

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Walk on My Own

Walk on My Own

Directed by Ndèye Fatou Fall (Senegal) Mentored by Elizabeth Hummer
In her film, 13-year-old Ndèye Fatou Fall tells how her life has been affected by profound changes that occurred in her village a few years before she was born.

Child Marriage

Education

Social Justice

Traditional Culture

Women's Rights

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