What’s it like being 11 in 2011? A filmmaker travelled the world to find out. With a bunch of bright balloons in hand, Melbourne schoolgirl Jamira knows how to strike a pose. Cutesy-pie one second, rock star the next, she epitomises that carefree age when life is full of opportunities. She wants to be an actor when she grows up, has just landed a spot in the A team at her inner-city soccer club and now she’s a magazine cover girl.
Jamira is accustomed to being in front of the camera. She was the Australian representative in a new documentary, I Am Eleven, that transports viewers into the lives of 11-year-olds from 15 countries. The feature-length film by Melbourne filmmaker, Genevieve Bailey explores the fascinating age between childhood buoyancy and teenage angst.
What Bailey found, after nearly five years travelling the globe talking to children, from the orphanages of Southern India to the glittering towers of New York’s upper east side, was that 11-year-olds everywhere share an unbridled sense of optimism, no matter what their language, religion and living conditions.
‘‘They’re almost as similar as they’re ever going to be,” says Bailey. ‘‘When the teenage years begin and once they’ve finished school, that’s when it feels like everyone’s a little bit different.’’
Bailey, 30, has vivid memories of her own life at 11, her favourite age to date (it was a new bed that sealed the deal). In 2005 she began speculating on what it’s like to be 11-years-old in the 21st century. “I wondered whether 11 is still this special age where you’re full of ideas and passion, your blinkers are off and you’re starting to think about the world,” she says. “Or is it a completely different thing from what I remember, because of the media access to the internet?”
This idea, combined with her fascination with television documentaries such as Seven Up! and Race Around the World, and a desire to travel, was the genesis of I Am Eleven.
For the next five years, the accomplished director, producer and cinematographer interspersed travel and filming with stints working in Melbourne, to save money before heading overseas again.
The children she met spoke about fear and terrorism; many were passionate and informed about environmental issues, albeit tinged with naivety. Dagan, from Georgia, in America’s Deep South, for example, declared that solar panels on half the world’s rooftops would power the world.
“Even though they’re not always correct, I love the purity of their thoughts,” Bailey says. ‘‘We could all learn a lot from the fact they don’t cloud their minds with that ego stuff. They just say it. Adults will be refreshed by their energy and that’s what I wanted to create: something optimistic.”
Bailey adds that while the children’s lives are not all sunshine and lollipops – indeed many live in harsh conditions – “the fact that they’re able to see beyond that and look forward in a positive way is really inspiring”.
In Kerala in southern India, Ginisha and her orphanage ‘‘sisters’’ talk about their concern over the ‘‘wrestling’’ between India and Pakistan, but one of them also speaks of her plans to study medicine when she finishes school. Bailey was so moved by their stories, she established the Darlingheart Foundation to raise money for homeless and orphaned children.
But she says it is Thailand-based Jack who best sums up what her film unearthed. “Even though we’re all from different parts of the world and have different experiences,” he muses, “at heart we’re just really all the same.”
Finding the children was an organic and, at times haphazard process for Bailey. Occasionally, she visited a city where she had friends (Tokyo). At other times she landed in places where she knew nobody and didn’t speak the language (Morocco). Her social skills became almost as vital as her camera.
“I didn’t really want to force the film in a way by which the children were selected by other adults in that country. I wanted fate to play a part,” she says.
Finding Jamira was no exception. Bailey discovered her through mutual friends at the end of her travels and says she made a big impression.
“Jamira’s so tough, in a really empowering way, and that’s what I love about her,” says the filmmaker. “She’s very resilient and, like many of the kids, she has so many different aspects to her character. She shines. I like that about her.”
As for Jamira, who discusses everything from her Aboriginal heritage to aliens in the film, the experience has been a dream come true. “I think it’s really cool and exciting,” she beams. “My whole life I’ve wanted to be like this [in front of the camera] and I haven’t had the chance, so now I feel cool and really, really excited.”
Now that’s she’s 12, Jamira says she also has fond memories of being 11. “I like the number. It’s number one, twice.”
When I Am Eleven debuts at this month’s Melbourne International Film Festival, Bailey is looking forward to rubbing shoulders with cinema goers and observing their reactions to her film. “I always say 50 per cent is making the film and 50 per cent is making sure people see the film,” she says. “I’m going to be sitting there like a kid in a candy store, enjoying every shot because I love the kids.
‘‘Hopefully, when people watch I Am Eleven, it will remind them of the influence, both positive and negative, we can have on kids and how we should be empowering them and encouraging them, because they are the future. Sounds like a cliche, but they are.”
I Am Eleven screens at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image on July 23. For more information, visit iameleven.com
Ned, Nunawading
What do you like most about being 11?
I really like school. I should be in grade 5, but because I started a year earlier I’m in grade 6. I think I’ve done pretty well, even though I’m only 11. I like being myself.
What do you like least about being 11? That I’m not allowed to play football with kids in grade 6. Because I’m 11, I have to play with the kids in grade 5.
What do you worry about? I hope I don’t get bullied when I go to high school. I’m not bullied now, but I’ll be at high school soon.
What makes you happy? Playing in sports competitions. We had an interschool sports event a few weeks ago and I got to play footy.
What is your favourite food? Definitely fried rice – I like everything in it! I love prawns and all kinds of seafood.
Would you rather be clever or good looking? Clever. You don’t have to be good looking to show off. I’d rather be really clever and not good looking at all.
If you could invent something, what would it be? Something for people who can’t use their hands. If they could still use their arms you’d attach it and it would be like a new hand.
What would you do if you could change the world? I’d fix the environment, starting with cutting pollution.
If you could live anywhere, where would you live? I’d live in Hawaii and go surfing.
Who should be the Prime Minister? Julia Gillard’s still good – I’d keep her. If I could choose someone else I would pick my old principal Mr Jewell. He’s very clever.
What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to be an architect or a sculptor.
How could we take better care of the environment? Light fewer fires, grow more plants and trees, use windmills and build energy-efficient houses that use green energy.
– as told to Beau Donelly
James, Hawthorn
What do you like most about being 11? I like having more activities. When you’re younger – like seven or six – you can’t do things like hockey or cricket because it’s too dangerous.
What do you like least about being 11?
I can’t do whatever I want yet. I’m sort of still stuck.
What do you worry about? I worry about getting a house when I grow up.
What makes you happy? Playing sports like cricket, soccer and football. And playing electronic games.
What makes you sad? Homework makes me sad. I don’t like spelling.
What’s the best and worst thing that has happened to you? The best thing is sleepovers. I get to play with my friends and stay up at night. I haven’t had many bad things happen to me.
Would you rather be clever or good looking? Probably clever, but not nerdy because I want to have friends.
If you could invent something, what would it be? Something to make the internet go faster. It goes too slow at the moment.
What would you do if you could change the world? I would grow more trees.
If you could live anywhere, where would you live? I’m just fine here.
Are you on Facebook? No, because my parents won’t let me.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A banker because I’d have to do a lot of maths and I’m quite good at maths.
How do you think we could take better care of the environment? Not killing animals for their fur and skin.
What do you think will happen in the future? There’ll be more and cooler electronics like the Nintendo 3DS. There’ll be new versions and they’re going to be very good quality.
– as told to Nicole Haddow
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