KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The "Class of COVID-19": A Documentary Film is a short film hoping to make a lasting impact.
Donna Davis, a professor at the University of Missouri - Kansas City and Jon Brick, an independent film director and editor teamed up in March 2020 to begin the project.
"Basically people were doing it like a diary, people were kind of like, not only doing the interviews we had but they were doing personal diaries through their cell phones and what it was like, a day in the life for each one of these characters," Brick said.
The two conducted over 200 hours of interviews, narrowing it down to 12 characters in a one hour and fifteen minute film, detailing what it's been like for teachers and students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's not just a headline that kids are struggling, they bear their souls to us and we're honored that they did that and that they trusted us with their stories," Davis said.
The topic of the documentary fluctuated as the pandemic changed on a daily basis.
"The story started telling itself with all the events that were unfolding, that the characters evolved through the documentary," Brick said.
Davis told KSHB 41 News that her hope is the documentary will serve as a time capsule.
"In 50 years, when they look back at this time, we really want this movie to be sort of a time capsule of just like what it meant to go to school and to be a teacher and to be dealing with such an incredible challenge," Davis said.
While the trailer for the documentary is complete, a screening has not been scheduled.
Davis said the goal was to host a screening this month, but due to rising cases of COVID-19, it has been postponed.
Brick told KSHB 41 News the film will be entered into several festivals.
In the future, Davis and Brick will provide updates about a potential screening via the film's social media sites.
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