To Touch the Soul

2007 American film

October 11, 2007 (2007-10-11) (La Femme Film Festival)

Running time

70 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglish

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]

Synopsis

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.

Interviews

Carlos Silveira
Saneya Bair
Heather Hamilton
John Lachey
Amanda Mithers
Saveun Nhim
Casey Quirarte
John Tucker
Sundy Ven
Cassandra Hepburn (Narrator)

Background

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

Filming locations include: Long Beach, California and Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

Film festivals

La Femme Film Festival, Beverly Hills, California
Wild Rose Independent Film Festival, Ames, Iowa
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Conscious Life Film Festival, Los Angeles, California
Byron Bay Film Festival, Byron Bay, New South Wales, Australia
Memphis International Film Festival, Memphis, Tennessee
Newport Beach Film Festival, Newport Beach, California
Global Arts Film Festival, Los Angeles, California
San Joaquin Film Festival, Stockton, California
Action on Film International Film Festival, Pasadena, California
Southern Winds Film Festival, Shawnee, Oklahoma

Awards

Wins

Accolade Competition: Best of Show, Videography, 2007; Honorable Mention, Motivational/Inspirational Category, 2007.
Wild Rose Independent Film Festival: Best Documentary Film, 2007; Certificate of Distinctive Achievement - Director of a Feature Film (Ryan Goble), 2007; Debut Film Certificate of Distinctive Achievement, 2007.
Myrtle Beach International Film Festival: Honorable Mention, 2007.
Byron Bay (Australia) Film Festival: Honorable Mention, 2008.
San Joaquin Film Festival: Best Documentary, 2008.
Southern Winds Film Festival: Best Feature Documentary, 2009.

References

^ To Touch the Soul at IMDb .
^ "To Touch the Soul". Cambodia Film Commission. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
^ "CSULB professor discovers art heals". Press Telegram. 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2023-12-30.
^ ""To Touch the Soul" About Art and AIDS in Cambodia to Screen at October 2007 LA Femme Film Festival". PR.com. Retrieved 2023-12-30.