Batkid Begins

Hello potential viewers, Mike Jutan here. I "played" the Penguin for the SF Batkid Make-A-Wish Day and I am overjoyed at the beautiful work director Dana Nachman has done with this story.

I was part of the day (I played one of the two villains who Miles chased around San Francisco) and this movie for me serves as two things: a perfect time-capsule of Miles's wish, transporting me right back to the spirit of that day in SF, and secondly, a stellar discussion of what it means to create community in this modern social media-driven world of ours.

I'd also like to point out that the Director is donating 100% of her proceeds to The Batkid Fund, which benefits the Make-A-Wish Foundation, along with 4 other charities. This movie was done with the same giving spirit and thoughtfulness of the Batkid wish, and I'm VERY proud to have had the honour to interview with such an incredible crew.

Please check http://www.batkidbegins.com for local listings, as it will continue on a limited release schedule nationwide in the US ongoing, throughout summer 2015. Thanks all for your kind support!

On November 15, 2013, I got a wonderful birthday present. I followed a link to a story about a child's Make-A-Wish request being fulfilled, and 20, 000 strangers participating to cheer him on. And, then, thousands more around the world touched by it and stopped to thank a young boy who wanted to be a hero, just for one day. How appropriate then, we hear a choral rendition of David Bowie's "Heroes," at the beginning of this documentary. Cancer is a harsh disease for anyone; but especially for children. These are some of the most vulnerable people, with developing immune systems. They have to turn into fighters to beat the disease. This film tells the story of one of these brave little warriors.

Miles Scott was diagnosed with leukemia at age 18 months. 18 months! He finished his treatment in the year he turned 5. That's a long battle, for anyone. Along the way, he was introduced to the Make-A-Wish foundation, which grants wishes to kids fighting cancer, in the hopes of giving them a back a piece of their lost childhood. Miles wanted to be a superhero; he wanted to be Batman. Simple enough. Then, people took inspiration and the idea grew from a simple day dressing up and doing some superheroic stuff into a city stopping for a day to cheer on a brave little kid, whose wish was to portray someone who brings justice into the world.

The story is amazing and the people involved even moreso. We meet Eric Johnston, who would be Batman to Miles' Batkid. Eric had worked with Make-A Wish before, helping a child develop a video game about fighting cancer, for other kids facing the same battle. Eric and the young man were recognized for their selfless act by the Dalai Lama. You see that same commitment from EJ, here, along with his wife and friends, the volunteers at Make-A-Wish and thousands of ordinary people, who were touched by the idea of helping a child play makebelieve. They got to be kids again, and see the world with clarity and bring some kindness back into it. All were heroes that day.

The film captures everything wonderfully and will have you in tears of joy, constantly. It's a heartwarming story that a few cynics have tried to tear apart; but, its message is beyond that. Watch the film and take inspiration. Become a hero for someone else. Take a moment and extend a kind hand to someone in need. remember what childhood was like, when you did everything with enthusiasm and passion. This film makes you want to go out and make the world a better place. We could use a bit of that.

Well done, Caped Crusader, and all of those who helped along the way.

This is the true story of a little boy who at a year and half was diagnosed with Childhood Leukaemia. When he finally went into remission after 3 long years of chemotherapy treatment, his parents decided they would contact the charity Make a Wish. You see it was the little boy's dream to become Batman or Batkid. With the help of many thousands of volunteers, the city of San Francisco transformed itself for 1 day into Gotham City. Another little boy donated his batman costume.

This is a true story, its actually a documentary of the days events and those around it and to me it just proves what the power of social media can do. Wonderful. Such a heart warming story.

This was an amazing film. Batkid is the superhero name of an American child who is also a cancer survivor. His wish was to be "Batkid", a sidekick of the comic book superhero Batman and the people at the Make A Wish Foundation turned San Francisco into Gotham City for a day. The city was completely transformed and everyone from the newspaper to President Obama got involved.

We watched it as a family and found it to be a springboard for a number of topics like; Life and death, the inherent goodness of most people and how each of us can make a difference in the world. It was also beautifully filmed and tightly edited. I can't say enough about this movie.

Critics be damned! This movie will quite simply make you feel good about humanity. This is a film about a storybook day in San Francisco--a day when downtown was pretty much shut down to make a little boy's dream come true. The best use of city funds? Probably not. But if a city's officials can't take time to be a little silly and do something for the sheer joy and good of it, maybe it's not a city worth living in. As a San Francisco resident, I can attest that the money was well spent, coming back in the form of boundless goodwill and smiles all across the city--and all across the world, in the form of social media. For once, the lead story on the news wasn't about homelessness or crime, it was about the humanity in all of us. (And I'm sure this humanity translated to lots of awareness and financial support for not only the Make-a-Wish Foundation but for many other childhood cancer organizations.) Hooray for Miles! And Hooray for San Francisco! And hooray for the director and producers of this film, who are putting the money made from the documentary right back into funding organizations that fight childhood illness.

Watch Batkid Begins when you need a little mood-booster. If it doesn't lift your spirits, than you are just too far gone.