“The Children of Central City” documentary shows how repeated exposure to violence alters a child’s brain development and other systems in the body. It examines how the city’s fractured network of independent charter school operators tries to balance the need to address student trauma with the pressure to meet state benchmarks for test scores. It also shows how lawmakers’ decision to reduce — or in some cases eliminate — mental healthcare services for children gives their families limited options for care, and leaves a handful of qualified providers struggling to meet the demand. Finally, it gives voice to those affected most: the Panthers players, who share in their own words what they want for their city, and for their futures.

-Words from Brett Duke