California Documentary Project
Going on 13
Film Arts Foundation
San Francisco
Project Directors: Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Dawn Valadez
Four girls from immigrant and working-class families navigate adolescence
This film, shot over four years, follows four girls from diverse backgrounds in the Bay Area as they come of age in the 21st century.
We meet Ariana as she deals with the poverty of her West Oakland neighborhood, her new stepfather and her developing body; Esmeralda, from a San Pablo Mexican American family, who daydreams about boys, but must face taunts about her size; Isha, from a traditional Indian/Pujabi family who explores Internet chat rooms; and Rosie, a gifted underachiever whose Nicaraguan father and Anglo mother struggle to support her in the midst of a divorce.
The primary voices in the film are those of the young girls themselves. “Ultimately, the film leaves people with a mixture of hope and worry about the choices the girls make and the ones they can’t avoid,” said filmmaker Kristy Guevara-Flanagan, co-producer and co- director of the film with Dawn D. Valdez.
The film will be submitted to film festivals, nationally broadcast and distributed through youth development and educational organizations. “While A Girl’s Life will be compelling viewing for a general audience, we believe it will be particularly inspiring to preteen girls, many of whom are experiencing similar difficulties and challenges,” Guevara-Flanagan said.