James Howard's hour-long documentary, `School of Hope', is not only his debut entry in a Bermuda Film Festival, but Friday night's world premi?re will also be a fund-raiser for the `Rural Women Knowing All' Continuing Education Fund.

Following the film's screening at 7 p.m., ticketholders will attend a dinner at the Bermuda National Gallery. Inclusive tickets ($75) can be obtained either by e-mailing Ms Susan Howard at showardbbsr.edu telephoning 297-1880, ext. 246, or faxing 297-2890.

The School of Hope Education Fund, established in 2000 under the name `Rural Women Knowing All Continuing Education Fund', works together with `Rural Women Knowing All', China's leading non-governmental women's group dedicated to helping the vast majority of Chinese women who live in the countryside. It seeks to change the fate of poor, rural, dropout adult Chinese girls through giving them three-month vocational programmes in Beijing on a wide range of topics, including animal husbandry, legal rights, prevention of wife battering, leadership and more, all of which are designed to give them self-esteem and a marketable skill. The girls are recruited in groups of 20 from designated impoverished counties, mostly in western China, and are selected on the basis of need and a demonstrated desire to learn and improve themselves.

In rural China, what little money the poor have goes towards educating their sons while girls receive little or no education, and are married off, usually to a boy from the next village, and consigned to a life of babymaking.

Canadian director Mr. Howard initially became interested in this project while studying Mandarin in Taiwan, where an artist friend invited him to an exhibition of her ceramic work, proceeds from the sale of which benefited the Training Centre for Rural Women. There he met the school's founder, Xie Lihua, and was so inspired that eventually he went on to make the documentary, `School of Hope', about another project, `Rural Women Knowing All'.

His documentary not only gives a glimpse of life among the rural poor in Szechwan province and contrasts that with the bustle of Beijing, but also follows the progress of four girls from the time they undergo the heart-rending selection process for acceptance into the three-month vocational programmes, to their intense studies in Beijing, and finally their lives after graduation.

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Initially, there are winners and losers, tears of sadness and joy as the girls and their families learn of their fate, and for the lucky ones facing leaving their villages for the first time. Touchingly, warned in advance of the director's visit, the four girls made sure they were dressed for the occasion, some borrowing home-made outfits from neighbours and others having them made by family members.

It took a year to film `School of Hope', an experience Mr. Howard describes as "very emotional".

"At times, frankly, I really felt I shouldn't be there at all, let alone with a camera, especially during the home visitations, but the girls reassured me how honoured they were that I was there. Whether or not they were merely being polite I'll never really know, but it made me feel much better to hear it. By the time the girls were at the school in Beijing, we were all really good friends, and later in the term I taught a couple of English classes to all 20 of the girls. It was a blast!" he says.

Editing the film was even harder and took almost another year, not least because Mr. Howard struck the proverbial creative brick wall and set it aside for a while.

"It was good that I did because I am very happy with how it turned out," he says.

`School of Hope' is Mr. Howard's second documentary, and he would like to become a professional documentary film maker, but admits "it can be a tough way to pay the bills".

Meanwhile, he is pursuing a Master's degree in environmental studies, and for its related major project may make a documentary about a rural community development project in Guatemala or Latin America.

"China is still very much in my system, though, and I hope to do some community development work there in the future and, who knows, maybe another documentary," he says.

Mr. Howard's sister Susan, who is the science liaison and operations manager at the Bermuda Biological Station for Research, is the driving force behind Friday's fund-raiser. For those unable to attend, the Fund also welcomes donations, no matter how small, from individuals, organisations and corporations. Per person it costs $30 for one week of training, $375 for three months training, or $7500 for a full programme for 20 girls. For further information about the fund itself please contact founder Leslie Chu Mackenzie at chumackpublic.netchina.com.cn or www.nongjianv.org/ev02_04.htm

A second screening of `School of Hope' will take place at the Southside Cinema next Monday at 6.30 p.m. Tickets, available from BIFF, cost $10.