We would like to thank Paula and Jack from "Our Town Magazine" for placing this excellent advertisement at no cost. Please visit our Web site, www.caprioleproductions.org and FaceBook for additional information.

Producers Kimberly Switzgable and John Scheifele were interviewed on Breezing With Beirman. The show airs on Princeton Cable. You may find the show at http:/vimeo.com17336445

Capriole Productions Inc wants to thank Sherri and the rest of the staff at the Hamilton, NJ Walmart. This store donated $500 to City of Hope: A Children's Story.

Walmart East Windsor, NJ

I would like to thank Kathy in personnel and Jessica Rutz from the East Windsor, NJ Walmart for their generous donation of $250 towards the production of "City of Hope: A Children's Story".

Staples Hamilton, NJ

I would like to thank Brian Riddell from the Staples in Hamilton, NJ for the $50 gift card donation.

Kusha Deep

After an intensive global search, Capriole Productions Inc., a non-profit documentary production company, is pleased to announce it's Letter of Intent selecting the UK musical firm, Kusha Deep Music as its sole choice to write and produce the central theme music for Capriole's "City of Hope: A Children's Story". Kusha Deep's composition entitled "City of Hope" will provide the central musical thread throughout the film's promo pieces and its feature length documentary. Kusha Deep Music will provide details of its progress as their work continues.

Capriole Productions would like to thank Valbona Koxhal, Executive Team Leader at the South Brunswick, NJ Target. This store graciously donate two $25 gift cards to buy office supplies. Thank you Val.

Seeking Donations

We are planning a trip down to Brazil to start shooting a 30-minute version of this 90 to 120 minute documentary. We were wondering if anyone might be willing to donate their United or American Airline mileage to us in order to fly down to Brazil. If anyone is interested we would be most grateful for the donation.

We would send you a letter stating that you donated the mileage so that you could write it off on your tax return. You name would also be added to the credits. Any help would be most appreciated.

City of Eternal Spring

I had the pleasure of viewing the most resent documentary "City of Eternal Spring" produced and directed by Carlo Mignana. The film is magnificent and is shot in Bolivia. It is the story of the street children of Bolivia and a young man who teaches them performing arts. Please check this very important documentary. Carlo's website is www.cinematicmasters.com

Memories of Brazil

Just want to share some memories of Salvador. My favorite city in Brazil. The picture of doors includes me and my friend Linda. The photo on beach is of me and my friend Heidi. My friend Joel is with one of the native women of Salvador.

Dressage: The Horse With Airs

This is the third clip from my first documentary Dressage: The Horse With Airs. I would like to thank Len Schneiderman the angel who allowed me to complete this film about dressage. If it wasn't for his kindness it would have taken much longer to edit this program. Thank you Len.

Dressage: The Horse With Airs

Here is another clip from Dressage: The Horse With Airs. Robert Hall was interviewed and this is part of his interview.

Dressage: The Horse With Airs

Here is a clip from my first film "Dressage: The Horse With Airs". I hope everyone enjoys it.

Thank You

I would like to thank my neighbors Kate and Kelly. If not for these remarkable young women our website would not be complete. Thank you both.

Grants

I would like to thank Tommy Ferrigno at the East Windsor Target. Tommy and the rest of the staff at this Target were great. Many thanks for the $50 gift card. We were able to buy the rest of the office supplies we needed.

Local Grants

Over the last several weeks I've been applying locally for grants for operating cost. Today I received a $100 gift card from the Princeton Target. I just wanted to make a public thank you to this store and Kimberly Austin, Executive of Guest Experience. Kimberly was very gracious and the gift card will go a long way in helping purchase office supplies. Thank you Kimberly and the story.

I received this email this morning from Mellissa Briley. I happen to be Greek and she is living in Greece and viewed this blog on Linkedin. I am very touched that she is moved by the story "City of Hope: A Children's Story". We continue to seek funds to shoot this film and have set up a link to PayPal for any contributions that anyone feels that they might want to make.

LinkedIn
Mellissa Briley has sent you a message.
Date: 7/01/2010
Subject: Thank you!
Thank you for connecting. :) I was just checking out your website and was very touched.

I'm an American living in Greece and I have seen and heard much. Many young girls are kidnapped from the Balkans and put into sex rings. Four year old children are forced to beg on the streets and are beaten if they do not return to the "boss" with money. It is such a huge problem and I fear people are ignorant about it.

Looking at your work has inspired me to sit down and organize these encounters. Perhaps we could collaborate in the future?

All the best,
Mellissa

Kimberly and John Taking a Break

My partner John and I taking a break from working on "City of Hope: A Children's Story. This photo was taken by a very charming 3.5 year old twin. She shot it on a Kodak digital camera. Very impressive.

Getting The Word Out

It's been too long since I've written. On Wednesday June 16th I had the pleasure of speaking to the Hamilton Rotary Club. I believe that this story really has to be told. Capriole Productions is seeking funds to make this film. We are a non-profit company so any donations would be tax deductible. If you would like more information please feel free to email us at kim@caprioleproductions.org.

Child Prostitution In Brazil

While doing research for our documentary "City of Hope: A Children's Story" I came across many articles about Brazil's epidemic with prostitution. According to one Brazilian Congressional report, Brazil has the highest rate of child prostitution in Latin America and the second highest rate in the world. The Brazilian Centre for Children and Adolescents has estimated there are 500,000 Brazilian children involved in prostitution.

The trafficking of women and children for prostitution is widespread and an institution in the Amazon basin of Brazil.

In an article dated June 21, 1993 Time Magazine estimated that 25,000 girls have been forced into prostitution in remote mining villages in the Brazilian Amazon.

In Brazil's two largest cities, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. there are an estimated 150,000 child prostitutes, boys and girls, controlled by a strong and organized mafia working in bars, prostitution houses, massage parlors and hotels.

I came across the following organization called Guardian Angel / Jubilee Campaign in the UK and wanted to share what they published.

REAL LIFE CASE STUDIES

1. In Foz de Iguacu, in the south of Brazil, a council investigation reported that children as young as eight are involved in prostitution, coming to the town from all over the country. Their photos and prices are presented in menu form for potential clients. Arriving in the city, sometimes fooled by the promise of a legitimate job, the young girls are enslaved, unable to leave the premises, made to prostitute themselves, their hair is painted, their documents falsified and their names changed. The report stated that the town judge and children's council were negligent, as they were reluctant to act against those using the children, many of whom were powerful and well-known public figures.

2. In the North eastern outback, the poorest region of Brazil, children are often forced to sell their bodies by their own parents, to the long-distance lorry drivers that travel the main motorways. In the poor interior town of Araripina, for example, children as young as eight prostitute themselves for as little as 1 real, or 30 pence. The highest price that a child can manage is 5 reais, about £1.50.

3. In the coastal North-Eastern cities of Brazil, such as Fortaleza, Recife and Salvador, children are also forced into prostitution by poverty. These are favourite resorts for foreign sex tourists, who arrive in the cities for the sole purpose of procuring sex with children.

4. In Belem, on the mouth of the Amazon, foreigners reportedly control the prostitution of children. According to the Prosecution Service, of the 114 prostitution houses in the city, 77 offer children from 11 to 17-years-old. Five of them are exclusively dedicated to the sexual exploitation of children, all five of which are owned by foreigners. A Kenyan mariner told a reporter from the Brazilian newspaper O Globo that Belem is the world's sexual paradise and that you can get a girl of whatever age you want whenever you want.

One experienced worker with Brazilian street children and child prostitutes has complained that the frequent demeaning sexual portrayal of young women and children in the Brazilian media helps create a mindset and culture where the sexual exploitation of such people becomes more acceptable.

In various State Parliamentary Commissions of Enquiry people in high positions including some politicians and judges have been discovered to have been involved in the sexual exploitation of children.

Memories of Brazil

Brazil is one of the most amazingly beautiful countries that I have traveled through. The landscape goes from one extreme: waterfalls, high deserts to beautiful beach's. I spent time on an island of Salvador call Moro de Sao Paulo. Met two wonderful girls and their families. Our guide Joel took my fiend Heidi and I on quite an adventure. But even with all the amazing beauty there is still the extreme poverty. Brazil has more children on the streets than any other SouthAmerican country. There are many children born into family's with alcohol and drug addicted parents. In many cases these children are forced into selling themselves on the street, steeling money and anything else they can grab. These children really need any help that they can get.

Sights & Sounds of Brazil

I fist visited Brazil in 1992. I joined friends one hour south of Florianopolis. The beaches are like no others I've seen. The sound of the waves and seagulls, people laughing, children screeching with joy. The smells of grilling fish and shrimp assaulting your senses. It's a 10 hour drive from there to Sao Paulo. The scenery is amazing, from beauty to down right poverty. Favela's lining the landscape.

My friends Ruth & Karsten decided to move back to Brazil and several years later had a large wedding on the beach two hours out side of SaoPaulo. On this trip I decided to travel around Brazil. I went to Rio de Janeiro, Salvador Bahia, Forte de Iquacu and the ancient city of Manaus.

The poverty in Sao Paulo was bad, but it paled in comparison to Rio's massive hillsides of favela's. Hundreds of children begging on the streets doing what ever they could to make money for food. Children sleeping in doorways with ragged clothing and if they are lucky have shoes on their feet. These children are known as urchins by the locals. Many of these children have run away from abusive parents or the parents are drug addicts or alcoholics. You see many of these children huffing glue, a cheep high or pick pocketing and trying to steel purses.

Capriole Productions Inc Staff

I met my partner John Scheifele in 1998 and then two months later left for Brazil for 6 weeks. Upon my return we decided that we would give it a go. It has now been twelve years and we're still together. John spent 30 years in high tech, so when the bottom fell out I convinced him to join my company Capriole Productions Inc as Executive Producer. John having no knowledge of film has learned quickly and is now an incredible asset to the company and the production in Brazil we are undertaking. I am very grateful to have John work with me.

How we got started

I became interested in film at the age of 12. I would sneak into the movies when I was not riding my horse. I loved the movies as much as I loved riding horses. At the age of 16 I decided that I wanted to be a film editor and work with horses. I graduated from Princeton High School in three years and took a year off to attend Morven Park International Equestrian Institute. I received my instructors certificate and went on to film school at The American University. I worked for the Smithsonian Institute upon graduating from AU. One year later I landed a job at WMDT-TV in Salisbury, MD. This ABC affiliate was a start up station. What a great learning experience. One year later I landed another editing job at WPVI-TV in Philadelphia. Within 8 months I moved to the number one station in New York. WABC-TV was very good to me and I was blessed to be able to work on every show. In 1986 I decided to start my own company and produce a documentary on Dressage. By 1987 Capriole Productions Inc was formed as a non-profit 501c3 corporation. I left WABC-TV in January of 1987 to start shooting my first documentary entitled: Dressage: The Horse With Airs. In 1995 Dressage: The Horse With Airs won a finalist award at the New York Festivals. I also won a Bronze Award for D-Day (Good Morning America) for editing. In the spring of 1990 I joined ABC News as a freelance editor. I also worked for the BBC and Reuters for several years. I've been blessed to have worked on the following shows: Night Line, World News Tonight, 20/20, Prime Time Live, Good Morning America, Like It Is and many other shows at ABC. I also worked for the BBC show News Night. In 1997 I won an EMMY for "Dianna Princess of Wale, The Final Farewell" World News Saturday/Sunday.

Over the last 20 years I've traveled to Brazil and fell in love with the country. But I also have become very disturbed about the plight of the street children. I became aware of Phillip Smith and his organization Hope Unlimited and the great work he is doing to help these children. I've done extensive research and decided to make a documentary about the plight of these children. We are in the process of looking for funding for this film and hope to start generating some donations soon,

City of Hope: A Children's Story (No Slate)

CITY OF HOPE: A CHILDREN'S STORY