A Riveting Film Created by and About San Bernardino Residents Premieres This Month
Go to school and you’ll succeed in life, they said, but they don’t know how hard it is just to get there.
San Bernardino, CA
Berdoo is a powerful new film that follows the lives of students in the San Bernardino City Unified School District. It is a film that shares the stories of multiple students and their struggles surrounding school.
Named for the moniker that locals use to refer to their city, Berdoo started as a project for a class at Loma Linda University School of Public Health by producer Nishita Matangi, who collaborated with the San Bernardino City Unified School District. The film itself was not a part of the class project, but after hearing riveting stories throughout the research project, Matangi realized there was more than meets the eye with the San Bernardino community. What the team soon learned was each student had a unique story of challenges that were affecting them in school, although student safety was a common challenge for many. The film’s creators decided to explore its impact on the city’s young people, and in the process learned each individual had a reason for their behavior. Prior to starting the film, the producers were told a multitude of negative information in regards to San Bernardino. They were told San Bernardino is known for its high poverty and crime rates and in 2019 was named the most dangerous city in California and the third most dangerous in the country. What the Berdoo team ended up finding out was just how caring and resilient San Bernardino actually is.
Berdoo ’s creators feel that the success stories of students and those in the school district who work so hard to help them deserve to be seen. They want the San Bernardino community to know that the school district has numerous resources that can help in any situation.
The reason behind it “I was inspired by the people and their intriguing experiences and realized my initial negative introduction through data and articles didn’t reflect the true sense of the community. It was important to me that this story be told by people from Berdoo, from the crew to the interviewees,” said Matangi. Every person has a story that deals with barriers within this community. Take the story of Minessotta Vikings running back Alexander Mattison, whose family didn't always have a place to call home, and who saw friends struggle to keep up with school while working and helping raise their siblings. He found hope through his family, friends, and the teachers that invested in him; teachers like Mr. Hinkleman, who invested in Alex on the field, in the classroom, and beyond.
Berdoo explores the resilience of the community to overcome any and all obstacles. Throughout the years, and no matter the economic situation, the San Bernardino City Unified School District has continued to be a resource for the community. Approximately two thirds of the San Bernardino population is impacted by the school district in one way or another.
This film is a holiday gift from its creators to the San Bernardino community. They aim to show the diversity of people within the community and to represent to the world that San Bernardino residents come from all walks of life. The creators want to shed new light on the San Bernardino community and its residents. This film is for anyone who sees San Bernardino as part of their story.
The film’s third trailer was released on December 18, 2020, at 1 p.m. PST. The community viewing of the film is set for December 25 at 2 p.m. PST.
The premiere launch of Berdoo , in collaboration with the San Bernardino City Unified School District and Loma Linda University, is set for January 2021.
Nishita Matangi has her Masters in Public Health and runs her own health communications consulting business and takes on projects like Berdoo to create platforms for community voice and to make public health information accessible and relatable. While researching chronic absenteeism among San Bernardino City Unified School District high school students, the stories she and her team heard during focus groups and interviews inspired her to share the stories of resilience in the community. She pitched the idea for Berdoo for a post graduate program, "Media and Medicine" at Harvard Medical School. Over a year later she hopes the film will shed a positive light on the resilient community.
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