Spotlight: Tatianna Kantorowicz

Born in Colombia, raised in London, and now living in New York, the frequently traveling Tatianna Kantorowicz has a great vantage point from which to tell her story, TREE OF DREAMS. Beautifully shot with a split-screen that invites and clarifies instead of alienates, DREAMS is a raw and honest look into one of Colombia's largest social problems. I recently got a chance to talk to her about love, street kids, video diaries, and more. Jordan: How did the subject matter pique your interest? Tatianna: Growing up in Colombia, street children become part of your everyday life. You see them at stoplights selling candy, you see them roaming around the city, asking for money, sleeping in parks. My mother was one of the founders behind Children of the Andes. When the time came for me to do a documentary it just seemed right for me to give a voice to these kids I had always seen. TREE OF DREAMS was done in collaboration with Children of the Andes. J: What are the differences between a street child in Colombia, the United States, and the UK, if you think there are any? T: All street kids come from the same roots: a broken home, a history of physical or sexual abuse, a lack of role models, and the feeling that the streets are a better place than home. In Colombia, street kids are picked up and placed in a halfway house, like the one in the film, Casa Corazones. In New York when kids are picked up, the houses are more like juvenile detention centers, where they are completely isolated. J: From your experience, which of these countries is most suited to dealing with this issue? T: I would have to say Colombia. It's been in a state of semi-war for the past 40 years. Thousands of kids end up homeless or orphans every year because of this. There is more awareness in developing countries I think, whereas in the UK and the US those problems appear more hidden. J: Compared to the UK and the US, do you think Colombia has the greatest divide between classes? T: Yeah. It used to have a very strong middle class, but around 10 years ago it collapsed. Only now can you feel it.

El Arbol de los Suenos (Tree of Dreams) - Download In this beautifully shot documentary about a halfway house in Bogota, Colombia, director Tatianna Kantorowicz forms a rapport with a group of young street girls to give us a unique look into their past, present and hopes for the future.