| To Touch the Soul | |
| Director: | Ryan Goble |
| Producer: | Teresa Hagen Co-producers: Ryan Goble Erin Henning |
| Screenplay: | Ryan Goble Erin Henning |
| Story: | Teresa Hagen |
| Narrator: | Cassandra Hepburn |
| Starring: | Carlos Silveira |
| Music: | Martin Herman |
| Cinematography: | Erin Henning |
| Editing: | Ryan Goble |
| Distributor: | Cut Loose Productions |
| Runtime: | 70 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
To Touch the Soul is a 2007 documentary film directed by Ryan Goble and produced by Teresa Hagen. The film was written by Goble and Erin Henning, from a story by Hagen. The documentary is narrated by Cassandra Hepburn.[1]
To Touch the Soul follows California State University, Long Beach Professor Carlos Silveira, a Brazilian-born artist educator and social activist, who recruits 27 American university students to join him in a pilot program that uses art to help impoverished Cambodian children affected by HIV/AIDS express their wishes and desires for their futures. As Carlos and the students grapple with the realities of a culture much different from their own, a language they don't understand, art projects that don't go as planned and a three-week deadline, they form a bond with the children. Through these young Cambodian mentors—all of them abandoned by society—the Americans empower their own social activism and learn the true meaning of kindness, selflessness, courage and community.
The story is told from Carlos’ and six of his students’ perspectives through a mix of spoken (voice-over) diary entries, interviews and interaction with the children as they create art projects together, and shows that even the smallest attempt at making a difference can have life-changing consequences for all the people involved. The film also highlights the growing problem of the 77,000 children in Cambodia who have become orphans due to their parents dying from AIDS, a population expected to grow to 108,700 over the next five years.[2] [3] [4]
Filming locations include: Long Beach, California and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Wins