Deborah Shaffer, Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez, Amy Sultan • U.S. • 2010

Three Bronx teens search for their voices and an answer to the question: Can language change lives? Karina, Pearl, and Anthony are precariously balanced on the edge. Inspired by three teachers in a radical poetry workshop, they write their own life stories, imagining a future where fathers aren't in jail, mothers aren't abusive, and college is a place where you awake instead of just dreaming about it every night.

Following the lives of these teenagers, To Be Heard celebrates the value of poetry, devoted teachers, and the power that comes from writing one’s own life story. Deborah Shaffer, Roland Legiardi-Laura, Edwin Martinez and Amy Sultan’s documentary premiered at Seattle, Sarasota, Nantucket and DOC NYC, where it won Audience Awards.