Award-winning Sci-Fi Film Written by Foster Youth Telegraphs Futuristic Global Pandemic
Updated: Jan 14, 2021
Kids in the Spotlight offers free online screening of "Cyverius," a film written and starring foster youth, to provide enjoyment for families stuck at home
Last year, a group of kids living in the Hillsides Group Home in Pasadena wrote a script during a 10-week Screenwriting and Filmmaking program provided by Kids In The Spotlight (KITS) a regionally-based nonprofit organization. The youth wrote an ambitious sci-fi short script about a global pandemic that pushed them to explore the depths of their imagination.
“Cyverius” was produced by a professional film crew, and one of the foster youth writers landed a dream role as the star of the film. Completing the project on a shoe-string budget, the film debuted for a packed audience at Paramount Studios last November. No one could have imagined just how relevant, timely, and important this film would become less than a year later.
“It is an overwhelming joy to see our youth tell a story that celebrates and values humanity, despite the challenges they faced growing up in foster care,” said KITS Executive Director, Tige Charity. “Even though we provide them with the opportunity to tell their stories, their way, these kids chose to use their creativity to positively impact their world with a story about hope and harmony.”
Set in the distant future, “Cyverius” tells the story of two young scientists whose integrity and compassion are tested as they travel to a foreign planet in search of a cure to save their world from a global pandemic. The highly ambitions film was an audience favorite at the 2019 KITS Awards.
“A good story, like “Cyverius,” can motivate people to take action and help ensure the well-being of others,” said Charity. “Over the coming months, we will be asked to think of others before we think of ourselves. We must recognize small opportunities of selflessness to act upon—such as practicing social distancing, leaving enough supplies for others, and lending a helping hand to the less fortunate or less capable.”
To watch “Cyverius” please visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Svpntq7vCo8&t=3s, and feel free to share the film with anyone who needs a little bit of hope right now.