Este documentário acompanha três meninas e suas vidas na escola de artes marciais Shaolin Tagou, a maior escola de Kung Fu da China. Longe de suas famílias, elas travam uma batalha diária de disciplina, regras e treinamento físico intenso. O Kung Fu oferece a elas a chance de sustentar seus pais no futuro e levar uma vida melhor, mas a que custo?

A Escola de Kung Fu Shaolin Tagu, localizada ao lado do Mosteiro do Templo Shaolin - o local de nascimento do Kung Fu - abriga cerca de 26.000 alunos. Em uma demonstração de habilidade e precisão de tirar o fôlego, todo o corpo discente pratica sua disciplina em massa e em perfeito uníssono, capturado lindamente pela câmera de Inigo Westmeier. GAROTAS DRAGÃO acompanha três jovens estudantes que vivem longe de suas casas e famílias. Elas sacrificam os luxos da infância, como dias de folga, brincadeiras e visitas aos pais, pela honra e pelo sucesso que obterão em seu treinamento. A exaustão física e mental e a constante busca pela perfeição pesam muito sobre as jovens guerreiras em treinamento, mas espera-se que, ao se formarem, o ganho tenha valido a pena.

Many films have been made about kids going to extraordinary lengths to avoid school. This stunningly shot documentary (Cesar Award Winner 2014) captures the stories of four children (Kenya, Patagonia, Morocco and India) and their herculean efforts to get TO school. Instinctively, they know that their well-being, and in many ways survival, depend on knowledge and education. This is a film parents might cite the next time their children complain about getting up for school on a Monday morning.

Jackson crosses the Kenyan savannah on foot, heeding his father’s advice, “If the elephants see you, they will kill you! Run away!”; Carlito rides horseback across rocky, scrub-covered plains and rushing rivers; Zahira treks over treacherous Atlas Mountain passes in Morocco with her classmates supporting one another; Samuel depends on his brothers to push his wheelchair over sand dunes and through swamps of southern Bengal. While the breathtaking cinematography reveals the splendor of their homelands, the dangers of these voyages keep you on the edge of your seat. At the heart of this unforgettable film are the children’s resilience and their unstoppable yearning to learn and improve their lives.

GET LOCAL: Family Services Rhode Island: The Walking School Bus
Family Service of Rhode Island’s Walking School Bus provides routes to and from school. The initiative ensures that each child living within a mile of the school, who needs to walk arrives on time and returns home safely, even when a family member is unable to walk with him or her.  The Walking School Bus serves Bailey and Fogarty elementary schools in Providence’s South Side neighborhood.To learn more about this program and/or to become a volunteer, click aqui.