Aging Out

Running time: 84 mins

Roger Weisberg and Vanessa Roth's Aging Out is the emotionally stirring and poignant saga of three teenagers in New York and Los Angeles who, for most of their lives, have been shuffled from one foster care home to another. Now, they find their teen years in foster care coming to an end and are "aging out" of their ability to continue as wards-literally being forced to fend for themselves in a harsh world.

Daniella juggles her college career with raising a newborn child as she struggles to avoid the problems that landed her in foster care. David leaves foster care for the streets, goes on a self-destructive drug and crime binge and even faces a time in jail. Risa attends her high school prom and is a star student but faces a daily battle with drug addiction and emotional instability.

Despite these struggles, Aging Out refuses to present a bleak account of the dilemma faced by teens evolving into a sometimes unforgiving adulthood. Instead, it is a moving portrait of the resilience each teen develops from years in the system and an affirmation of their dreams of independence and fulfillment.

Al Owens

MAVERICK COMPETITION