Free Screening of 'Finding Kind' Documentary on Girls and Bullying Sept. 18

Building on last year's initiative to promote kindness and compassion, community leaders are bringing the documentary 'Finding Kind' to Enumclaw's on Tuesday, Sept. 18 for a free public showing beginning at 7 p.m.

'Finding Kind' was produced by two female students from Pepperdine University, Lauren Parsekian and Molly Stroud, who traveled 10,000 miles across the country with their mothers and spoke to more than 30,000 girls through more than 60 cities about the cruelty of female bullying.

"It seems that society has concluded that girls are catty and mean to each other and that it's never going to change," said Parsekian. "People fail to realize that these experiences are detrimental to a female's growth, self-esteem, and ability to form healthy and functional relationships. The cruelty that exists among females is a serious issue that needs immediate attention. The goal of the film is not to point the finger at the 'mean girl,' however, because we have all been on both sides of this issue. It's about collecting stories and perspectives from females all over the country and using these stories to spread awareness and start a dialogue about the issue."

'Finding Kind' is distributed by IndieFlix, a Seattle-based company headed by CEO Scilla Andreen, an award-winning producer, director and Emmy-nominated costume designer who recalls having her lunch stolen by classmates in grade school, being pushed into snow banks and heckled with "Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, what are these?"

It was memories like these that prompted Andreen to support the film. "Small films like 'Finding Kind' often struggle for years showing at film festivals before being picked up and distributed," she said. "Less than a handful ever see a theatrical release and few make money. I needed to turn this model upside down in order to get this powerful film out to young women around the world."

The documentary will be shown to students at Enumclaw Middle School and Thunder Mountain Middle School earlier during the school day. Doors open for the free evening presentation at 6:30 p.m.

The event is made possible by the , in partnership with the Enumclaw Schools Foundation, and Franciscan Foundation.

To learn more about the film, visit: http://findingkind.indieflix.com/home/.