Filmmaker Statement

When I was making this film I was working as an art teacher in a juvenile prison. I met a girl who was heavily pregnant, and incarcerated. The father of her baby was also incarcerated and she was deciding whether or not to adopt the baby, but she seemed torn. I could not stop thinking about her. Her story encapsulated the real dilemmas so many of these kids face. I didn't care much about what crimes they have committed, but I was interested in their background. It was almost always one riddled with trauma. I wanted from the outset to cast a teenager who had some lived experience of this world. I met Jordan at reengagement school and her energy was arresting. I knew she was our Jaz. This film is the story of one young girl who has no one but herself, and if she is to survive she must realise that. It breaks my heart to think and to write it, but this girl must be represented and also celebrated. Her will to survive and thrive is fierce, and it doesn’t temper her quest for love.