FREE

The Power of Performance

In a city infamous for crime and high dropout rates, the Destiny Arts Center in Oakland, California, provides a safe place for teens to share their stories, build community, and express themselves through dance. Each year, 20 diverse students are accepted into the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company, where they spend months creating a performance based on their dynamic lives.

Capturing the powerful grace of a performing arts company for at-risk youth, FREE journeys behind the curtain to spotlight the intimate stories of five particular inner city teenagers whose lives are transformed by the power of collaborative dance.

"Even though you might shed a tear or two in sympathy, FREE is ultimately an uplifting, colorful documentary... Seems like these kids will be all right." - San Francisco Chronicle

"A beautiful, three dimensional portrait of a program that is building emotional resilience and courage in some of Oakland's most vulnerable and talented young people." - Courtney E. Martin, author, Do It Anyway and Project Rebirth

Audience Favorite/Active Cinema Gold, Mill Valley Film Festival