Red Lights to Red Carpet

Oscar Magic

What happens when you put cameras in the hands of poor children who have had no other way to express their creativity? Magic. In the red-light district in Calcutta, British-born photographer Zana Briski, who now lives in New York, has been making a difference by teaching photography to the children of prostitutes. Not only have the pictures taken by her preteen students been seen all over the world, but a film about their lives, Born into Brothels, is breaking hearts at theaters across the country. The acclaim is taking Briski and her students from the ghetto to the Oscars with a nomination for best documentary.

next : Zana's Choice