Scholastic hosted a special screening of SenArt Films’ “Kids For Cash.”

The event was held at Scholastic Auditorium Screening Room. Director Robert May and children from the film participated in a chat after the screening.

“One mistake should not define a person’s life. The question was… what was going on in  Ciavarella’s courtroom… something’s wrong here”

Corrupt judges. Federal investigations. 3,000 incarcerated children. At the most, this seems a bit reminiscent of a Law and Order episode; however, for the parents and children involved, it was all too real. In a dramatic 102 minutes, director Robert May provides insight into one of the most recent judicial scandals in America. You may know the case as well as the conviction, but Mr. May scored exclusive interviews with the judges during the course of their trail… behind their lawyers backs. What drove the two to agree to secretive interviews is unclear, but May believed it was because his team was impartial to the case. While Ciavarella was in the national spotlight for selling his verdicts for money, May spoke of his directing techniques. “It was important for me to be judgmental. The interview process was emotionally and physically draining. We would spend a day with the kids and families, and then spend a day with Ciavarella – both telling their side of the story”.

It was hard not to get emotional during the film. People cried and yelled comments aloud. In the theater there was a sort of tense vibe at times – you could feel the frustration with the villains and empathy with the victims. If Robert May does one thing well with this film it is empathy. Even sitting in a large theater, the individuals speak to you on a personal level.

-Dalton Taylor