Mary’s Meals film selected by Cannes Film Festival

Generation Hope – which features Hollywood star Gerard Butler and highlights the difference a nutritious daily meal in school can make for children living in the world’s most impoverished communities – will form part of the programme at the 69th annual Cannes Film Festival in May.

Filmed on location at our projects in Malawi, Haiti and India, the uplifting half-hour documentary will be exhibited at the festival’s ‘Short Film Corner’, a prestigious platform for the work of up-and-coming short film directors and producers from around the world.

Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow, our founder and CEO, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that this beautiful and inspiring film has been selected to be shown at Cannes! When we were filming Generation Hope, we couldn’t have imagined it would enjoy the exposure offered by such a high-profile international event. It’s an incredible gift to bring our work to new eyes, new ears and new hearts in this way.”

Generation Hope comes from American director Charles Kinnane – who directed our first award-winning short film, Child 31, released in 2012 – and it focuses on young people who, having received Mary’s Meals in school, are now contributing to building brighter futures for their communities and countries.

Magnus explains: “We began by feeding just 200 children in Malawi in 2002, but today – thanks to the extraordinary generosity of our supporters – we are reaching more than a million hungry and impoverished children every school day.

“Children who used to miss school are now in classrooms, children who were once too hungry to concentrate can now learn, children who used to be unhappy are laughing in their playgrounds, children who were resigned to having no energy are chasing footballs, and parents who were tortured by not being able to feed their children every day have more peace.

“And now, at this point in our growth, we see that a beautiful revolution is taking place as a new generation, once fed by Mary’s Meals, begins to find its voice. We call them ‘Generation Hope’. This is what this film is about – the university students, singers, farmers, teachers, DJs, footballers, and a myriad of other happy young people who, well-nourished and well-educated, are now finding their own way in life.”

Ahead of the Cannes Film Festival, Generation Hope received its official launch on Friday, 15 April, with première events taking place across six continents.

Mary’s Meals is enlisting the help of our global supporters to stage screenings in their communities – in venues ranging from living rooms, schools and churches to conference halls, theatres and cinemas – with free Generation Hope screening packs available to order on our website.