Vanessa Roth Movies
- 1998
For children who are removed from severely dysfunctional homes, foster care provides a safe place in which to grow up. Their backgrounds may have included physical or sexual abuse, parental neglect, or other conditions that put them in jeopardy. Taken In: The Lives of America's Foster Children looks at the pros and cons of foster care, focusing on a 15-year-old and his five-year-old sister. Although they are not Hispanic, they have been placed in a Spanish-speaking home, where there are three other children. The siblings talk about the difficulties of leaving their home, and trying to adjust to their new life. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Vanessa Roth and Alexandra Dickson co-directed this disturbing examination of child sexual abuse. The film tells the story of a half-dozen people who were abused as children. The subjects range from Sheldon Kennedy, a professional hockey player who revealed the actions of a former coach; Jason Jasnos, whose abuser infected him with HIV; and 14-year-old Merrilea, who resides with adoptive parents after her father molested her. The variety of victims reveal that abuse does not depend upon race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Their interviews make up the bulk of this powerful documentary that was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Aging Out documents what happens to three adolescents who have grown-up in America's foster system. The filmmakers chart how these young adults are forced to provide for themselves and get along in the world without having been given any knowledge of how to do these things during their childhood. They face a future that includes drug addiction, prison, and a constant fight to gain a sense of security. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay O. Sanders
- 2007
The future of American politics may well be taking their first step towards leadership in this documentary from filmmaker Vanessa Roth. In the fall of 2004, as America was preparing to go to the polls in one of the most hotly contested presidential elections in history, Roth decided to take a look at the other end of the political spectrum, and followed student council elections at four middle schools across the United States, watching as hopeful thirteen-year-olds try to convince their classmates they should represent them. In San Francisco's Francisco Middle School, Jenny Wong campaigns on the hot-button issue that the school's textbooks and equipment need to be updated, while her opponent Mick Del Rosario just wants better food in the cafeteria. Hall Middle School in California's Marin County fields four candidates -- Beau Cowen, who wants to stamp out hate speech; Katie Kane, who wants more and better school dances and juice options in the lunchroom; Sam Arabian, who has dubbed himself "student action man;" and William Zolezzi, who believes he could make lunch more fun for everyone. St. Stephens Episcopal in Austin, Texas finds students choosing between Sam Brothers, a student council veteran who believes two terms are necessary to make real change, and Dustin Godevais, who runs on his regular guy appeal. And three close friends are all running for the same student council spot at Atlanta's Inman Middle School -- pro-diversity candidate Kayla Bacon, school newspaper editor Noelle Jones, and Teekia Cain, a cheerleader who wants to boost school spirit. Roth follows all eleven candidates, ranging from confident to gawky, as they campaign in any number of styles (ranging from delivering sincere speeches to performing acrobatic stunts) and offer their views on the larger political race occupying the minds of the nation. The Third Monday In October received the Audience Award at the 2006 Austin Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexandra Dickson-Gray, Lindsay Crystal, (more)
- 2007
A terminally ill New Jersey police officer struggles against city council's decision to deny the transfer of her pension to her domestic partner in documentary filmmaker Cynthia Wade's earnest look at one woman's fight for equal rights in the land of the free. Veteran lieutenant Laurel Hester is a police officer who has dedicated 25 years of her life to serving the community. Upon learning that she has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer, Hester seeks to provide for longtime partner, Stacie Andree, by transferring her pension. A wrinkle arises in Hester's plan, however, when the elected officials of New Jersey county ("The Freeholders") deny Hester's humble request. Without transfer of the funds, Andree will lose the home that the couple has spent their lives building together. Now, as their friends and neighbors rally around in support of the couple, Hester is forced to spend her final days not simply enjoying the company of the one she holds dearest, but racing against the clock to ensure that the love of her life won't be destitute due to a broken and biased system. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
