'Bullying on any level is no longer acceptable,' Mayor Al McDonald

BULLY the Synopsis

Over 13 million American kids will be bullied this year, making it the most common form of violence experienced by young people in the nation. The new documentary film BULLY, directed by Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch, brings human scale to this startling statistic, offering an intimate, unflinching look at how bullying has touched five kids and their families.

BULLY is a beautifully cinematic, character-driven documentary. At its heart are those with huge stakes in this issue whose stories each represent a different facet of America’s bullying crisis. Filmed over the course of the 2009/2010 school year, BULLY opens a window onto the
pained and often endangered lives of bullied kids, revealing a problem that transcends geographic, racial, ethnic and economic borders. It documents the responses of teachers and administrators to aggressive behaviors that defy “kids will be kids” clichés, and it captures a
growing movement among parents and youths to change how bullying is handled in schools, in communities and in society as a whole.

Joking that she will be working bingos for the rest of her life to pay for Odyssée’s private viewing of the movie BULLY, teacher Sylvie Vanier says it was worth every penny.

Vanier says when the movie started to garner attention and accolades on the film circuit and through social media her students started asking what they could do to bring the movie to North Bay.

“I started doing some research and going online and basically realized that there were a lot of campaigns to try to bring the movie to people’s city,” she explains.

“And we went on these bandwagons and we went messaging on Facebook and we signed some of the petitions, in the States and in Canada, and we really started a campaign and we thought it was important that our students needed to see this movie.”

“In doing so we campaigned to bring the movie to North Bay and we got the approval last week from the Weinstein and Bully Canada they would be sending Bully to North Bay and that we were getting a private school showing.”

“Obviously not for free but we’ve worked hard for it and it’s a reward to actually be able to at least bring our whole students body and our whole staff to see it today.”

Vanier says the students and staff had strong reactions at the theatre from both staff and students that opens the door for further discussion and action.

“I think it’s important for every school in North Bay to get on the band wagon and bring their students to see it.”

“It’s an important message, it’s a disturbing movie, it’s sad, we had a lot of students walk out with a lot of tears in their eyes, but smiles a well to say thank you for bringing us to this movie.”

“And I think it’s important in a few weeks when you know it’s sort of released to the public here in North Bay as well that parents come and see it, educators come and see it, (and) politicians come and see it.”

Vanier also says it is important to get the message out that bullying is not just a school issue that in fact it is a social and human responsibility.

“We have to be conscience of it we have to not let it happen, as parents we need to speak up, as politicians as educators we need to make sure it’s not happening in our back yard.”

“And if it’s no happening in our back yard we may have to make sure that it’s not happening anywhere else.”

She says that since Odyssée started their anti-bullying project started this year there had been a marked improvement.

“People are more mindful, people are realizing that words hurt and they’re seeing it in others and telling others to stop.”

“So I think we can never expect something to disappear overnight, but I think the bottom line is that we expect to make a change one person at a time.”

Student Anya Pinsent says she was impressed that the movie gave kids a voice on the issue.

“It isn’t all about the schools, like yes the schools can stand up and help us, but we have to make the first step and telling people.”

“When you see someone being hurt and it’s to the point where it’s not funny anymore, like saying a joke to your friend like oh I hate you or something like that could be funny, but when it’s to the point where you see it hurts someone …the minute you see somebody being hurt you need to stand up.”

North Bay Mayor Al McDonald couldn't agree more and posted this on his Facebook page - "I attended Odyssee's premier of the Anti Bully Movie. Over 300 students attended. These students are true leaders in our community. They are bringing the message that bullying most stop. This is a great step in creating change and in having a dialogue that Bullying on any level is no longer acceptable."

West Ferris High School will have a private viewing of the movie next Wednesday.



Editor’s note:

If there is one movie you see this year make it Bully.

As a parent I was heartbroken to see the anguish and torment children face on a daily basis on their way to school, in class, on the playground and on their way home from school.

The movie was an emotional roller coaster that kept me thinking what if this were my child, what would I do, how would the school system here handle the situation.