Garden Thieves Pictures recently released information for their upcoming DVD release "Mentor". The documentary focuses on the problem of bullying and teen suicide that is too common in America today.
"Mentor" hits stores and VOD on 12/16.
Press Release:
Garden Thieves Pictures has announced that Mentor, the latest documentary from award-winning director Alix Lambert, will be available nationwide on cable and internet VOD and DVD December 16th. Lambert's lens takes an unflinching look at the problem of teen suicide and bullying in America. In 2010, Mentor, Ohio was voted one of the top 100 cities in the United States. But in the five years leading up to this honor, five students at Mentor High School took their own lives after relentless bullying. The families of two of the victims have filed suit against Mentor High School contending that bullying played a role in all five of those deaths.
Mentor, Ohio: largely white, largely upper middle class, and listed as one of the "Top 100 Places to Live in the United States." Its attraction for immigrants and "others" has proven to be a deadly illusion. The Vidovics swapped the perils of war in Bosnia for life in Mentor, trying to fit in to this culture of conformity. Their daughter Sladjana endured constant bullying for her name, her accent, her clothes, and her perceived queerness. She suffered nightly death threats and daily physical abuse. The Vidovics sought help from the school, to no avail. Principals, counselors, nurses, security guards, and the police all systematically failed to stop the bullying or create a safer environment. No one was held accountable when Sladjana hanged herself at 16.
Eric Mohat did not tell his parents of his daily physical abuse, being called "fag" and "queer" at school. Eric was finally taunted into killing himself at 17. At its heart, Mentor poses a harrowing question: What tragedies will some endure to maintain the status quo, and what risks we must take to reclaim the future of a community in conflict?
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