Many films have been made about street children. Some good, some not. The kids are a thankful target for filmmakers like myself, as we ardently become sponges for their heartfelt stories. With so much done already, why then, I was often asked, make another documentary about one?

The answer is simple: by means of a compelling story which accompanies a young street mother and her baby for over a year, I want to draw attention to the alarming reality of homeless kids who are setting out to start their own families. This is new. During several years of research, we found that the proliferation of a next generation of street children is largely undocumented. Governments, NGO’s, academics, filmmakers… not even Unicef manages data on children who are born on the city streets. Statistically, they are all treated the same, while the social differences between parents and their children are enormous.

In Nicaragua, as in most countries, children and teens end up on the street because they are running away from extreme poverty, domestic violence and/or sexual abuse. Arriving alone in the city, they’ll befriend others their age and are quickly absorbed in a street community that becomes their family. Having enjoyed some years of basic education, kids tend to be between six and 12 years old when they spend their first night on a piece of cardboard under the stars. I always refer to them – quite unacademically – as the first generation. They are the ones who some years later decide to have children themselves.

The second generation – babies like Karla in Karla’s Arrival – are not on the run from some previous life. They are homeless from day one. Unlike their parents, they won’t know what it’s like to live under a roof or have a family in the traditional sense of the word (although the street community haphazardly offers some alternative). They might not ever go to school and won’t be registered as citizens of their country. Chances are that formally they won’t exist and, as a result, will have no right to education or health care.

It’s no small problem either. Estimations are that there are 75 million girls living on the world’s streets. Most of them will at least bear one child before they turn 18. This is an enormous, worldwide, complex yet unknown problem.

Ironically, and on the bright side, the baby can be part of the solution. While a young mother’s low self-esteem might inhibit her from leaving the streets, a son or daughter can mark a turning point. Their babies offer them something which will have been lacking in their own lives – unconditional love – and are seen to be more important than themselves. A desire to offer their child a better life is reason enough to seek help, which generally is not hard to come by.

For me, it goes without saying that becoming a parent is the most basic of human rights which should be available to all. Making Karla’s Arrival was all about opening a debate which revolves around the question of how we can create the conditions to make this a reality for everyone. And besides that, luckily, we came across a touching and hopeful story.

Koen Suidgeest (Amsterdam, 1967) is a Dutch filmmaker based in Madrid (Spain). He is the director of the ITVS-funed Karla’s Arrival, which will air on Link TV’s Doc Debut in May.

Back in September of last year – around the 18th, to be exact – a student in a media class I teach blogged about something she was picking up on Twitter and in the blogosphere.  But although she was pretty sure that “something” was happening, she wondered why she wasn’t reading or hearing more about it in media coverage. I recall tweeting back to her, “you can find stories on indie and public media, like Link TV, Democracy Now!, NPR…”

And that’s where the early Occupy Wall Street coverage could be found, even before a rapidly-spreading series of protests became a branded phenomenon and agenda-setting fodder for all kinds of media attention around the world.

This is the moment for independent media.  As digital audiences become, well, more digital, finding their news via social media, blogs, and a mix of transmedia storytelling that moves fluidly from broadcast to mobile and social, the ability to share and take in “untold stories” and different perspectives has never been greater. And in an era of hyper-globalization and global challenges, the opportunity to bridge cultural understanding across borders has never been more present – or vital.

Enter Iran.

If you read and watch entertainment news, you know that an Iranian filmmaker, Asghar Farhadiis, is racking up the Hollywood awards for “A Separation” even in a climate of U.S.-imposed sanctions.  And if you’re paying attention to most media coverage, you’re well aware of the nuclear issue. But other than that, do we have a lens into the lives and stories of Iranians?  Does this kind of cultural lens matter as we settle into our perspectives about Iran? Yes. Without showing the lives, struggles, and culture of everyday people living and working in Iran, we in the West have a potentially skewed image of Iranians.

In 2006, indie global broadcaster Link TV developed a documentary TV series, Bridge to Iran, to provide a window into the lives and struggle of everyday Iranians – to respond to the cultural and political tensions that have developed between Iran and the U.S. since the Iranian Revolution.  Over the years, Bridge to Iran has covered a wide range of social and political issues in modern Iran, including the experiences of young girls facing womanhood and uncertain futures, religious pilgrims who risk their lives to visit a holy site in war-torn Iraq, rural life and political awareness, an exploration of Tehran as an urban metropolis, and Iranian women’s participation in the election process.

The new series premieres on February 14. In each of the four episodes of Bridge to Iran, in-depth discussions with top Iranian filmmakers provide a unique lens into some of the challenges and realities facing Iranians during a time of increased instability – including censorship, sanctions and safety concerns. It’s a diverse perspective on a country on the receiving end of a torrent of media attention – and it’s a lens that’s inclusive of the people and the art found within Iranian borders.

On April 30^th Link TV launched the ViewChange Online Film Contest, with cash prizes of up to $25,000 for the Grand Prize winner. The ViewChange Online Film Contest is looking for short films in six categories that examine international development efforts toward achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Online voters will help determine the finalists, with the winners selected by a panel of judges that includes Gael García Bernal, Wim Wenders, Danny Glover, Senator Daniel K. Inouye, Angélique Kidjo and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Winners and finalists’ videos will be nationally broadcast on Link TV and showcased at major events in New York City and Washington D.C. for media and for policy makers.  All six category winners will be included in ViewChange.org, a cutting-edge digital media hub launching in October 2010.

As fans of ITVS and Independent Lens, you already know how powerful a good story can be. Tell yours.

Check out the clip below:

CHINESE SCHOOL premieres tomorrow night, November 24, on Link TV at 7:30 PM (check local listings). This film received ITVS International funding.