The Award Winning
Documentary About Rhode Island’s Urban Collaborative Middle
School shown on August 7, 7 pm at the Columbus Theater
in Providence as Part of the Rhode Island Film Festival.
Providence, RI – The award winning
documentary “Accelerating America” about the Urban
Collaborative Accelerated Program (UCAP), an independent
public middle school located in Providence, Rhode Island,
will be shown at 7 PM on August 7 at the Columbus Theater in
Providence. The film took Special Jury Prize for
documentaries at the Seattle International Film Festival
“…for capturing the inspiration of the subject and the
humanistic heart of the film.”
New York based filmmaker Timothy
Hotchner became involved in the school while a student at
Brown University. “Accelerating America” is his first
feature documentary. Hotchner followed three UCAP students
as they struggled to overcome abandonment, poverty, and
previous educational failure. Each had been “held back” in
school for at least one year before enrolling in UCAP.
America - Sassy but wounded,
fourteen-year-old America (whose name inspired the film’s
title) was placed in foster care after her allegations of
sexual abuse against her brother. Her family returned to the
Dominican Republic without a word to her - she learned of
their disappearance from a friend.
Jason - Steadfast even in the face of
the odds stacked against him, Jason’s prior school
experience was of teachers ignoring him or worse - telling
him he could never succeed.
Yasmine - With her hardened outer shell,
Yasmine hovers on the edge of making some really big
mistakes. Two of her brothers have been in and out of the
justice system and a third dropped out of school. She has
never met her father.
Hotchner gained the trust of these
students over many months. He was allowed to enter both
their school and home lives and documented their struggles
to overcome formidable obstacles as they try to integrate
these two very different worlds in which they live.
Hotchner also captures the fierce
determination of Robert DeBlois, UCAP’s founder and
director, to help children he considers less fortunate than
himself. DeBlois actively runs the school despite his
physical limitations as a quadriplegic - the result of a
diving accident while in college.
A public but independent middle school,
UCAP is the only school in the nation that gives students
who are otherwise likely to quit school the chance to
complete three years of study in two by dramatically
improving their academic and social skills. The film depicts
an unusually dedicated teaching staff and a non-traditional
learning environment that includes efforts to engage
families in their children’s education.
UCAP serves students from Providence,
Central Falls and Cranston. Rob DeBlois, Director, lives in
Seekonk, MA. Also prominently featured is DeBlois’ assistant
Lynn Prentiss of Providence, and school social worker Albert
Lemos of Cumberland.
For information about the school or the
screening of the documentary, call or email Andrea Joseph,
401-272-0881,
ajoseph.ucap@cox.net.
View Trailer
Back to News Stories & Articles
