WHIZ KIDS Opens At Balboa Theatre 9/24
San Francisco Producer/Director Tom Shepard and New York based filmmakers Tina DiFeliciantonio and Jane C. Wagner present the new film WHIZ KIDS: a coming-of-age documentary that tells the story of three remarkably different yet equally passionate 17-year-old scientists who vie to compete in the nation's oldest, most prestigious science competition - at a time when American teens lag far behind other countries in math and science. Win or lose, these ‘whiz kids' raise questions about class, courage, personal sacrifice, success and failure, and in the process, learn as much about themselves as they do about science.
WHIZ KIDS is a Shadow Distribution release, runs 82 minutes and is not yet MPAA rated.
Opens in San Francisco on Friday, Sept. 24, 2010 at the Balboa Theatre, 3630 Balboa Street
(between 37 & 38 Avenues). Check Balboa theatre for showtimes : http://www.balboamovies.com/
The daughter of a former DuPont chemist from West Virginia, Kelydra Welcker is an earnest environmental watchdog. Pakistani-born Harmain Khan is a mercurial teen with enormous ambition. While the competition itself provides a grueling and emotionally compelling narrative, the filmmakers agreed that the coming of age stories of its contenders would comprise the heart of the film .For a year and a half, they visited high schools around the country searching for teenagers who were engaged in sophisticated research. The team found students, who at 16 and 17, were already working in university and government labs, sometimes alongside Nobel Prize winning scientists. They also found students with fewer resources who were making discoveries in the apocryphal basement or garage lab. Several traits were consistent among these ‘whiz kids'-an insatiable curiosity, a deeply felt determination to communicate their work to the public and a passion to make a difference in the world. The subjects of this film raise questions about class, courage, personal sacrifice, success and failure, and in the process, learn as much about themselves as they do about science.
Director and co-producer Tom Shepard was a teen scientist and a Science Talent Search finalist in 1987 and has directed and produced documentaries for over 12 years. SCOUT'S HONOR won the Audience Award for Best Documentary and Freedom of Expression Award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival. He also co-directed and produced KNOCKING, a film about Jehovah's Witnesses, which garnered several national awards. He also has produced and directed segments for VOTING IN AMERICA and SPARK. Previously, Shepard worked as an editor at National Public Radio for Linda Wertheimer. He is currently the Chairman of New Day Films, a progressive film distribution company, and is researching a new film on openly gay political candidates. He graduated from Stanford University in Human Biology.Co-director, co-producer and director of photography Tina DiFeliciantonio and editor, writer and sound recordist Jane C. Wagner's collaboration began while they were in Stanford University's masters film program, where DiFeliciantonio made her directing debut with the student Oscar-winning LIVING WITH AIDS. Their film GIRLS LIKE US won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. In their documentaries, DiFeliciantonio and Wagner have tackled teenage sexuality, child abuse, war time rape, LGBT civil rights, social justice, art and science-garnering dozens of top honors, including two National Emmy Awards. Wagner and DiFeliciantonio are members of The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and currently serve on the boards of ITVS, Women Make Movies and Independent Filmworks
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