The Road Home (Professional Version)

* See below for a description of the film *

WHY CHOOSE THE PROFESSIONAL DVD?

SHOW THE FILM TO A GROUP:  With the Unlimited Public Screening License you can show the film as many timesas you’d like in classrooms, seminars, conferences, and public settings of any size.

LEAD A GROUP DISCUSSION:  Get people talking using the Discussion Question Insert designed to help your audience discover how the film’s message relates to their lives.  With sets of questions tailored to younger and older students, parents and professionals, you’ll find the right ones for any group.

DEEPEN YOUR UNDERSTANDING:  Gain new insight from two Professional Commentaries in which TCK experts Ruth Van Reken and Heidi Tunberg describe and explain the Third Culture Kid experience and highlight TCK themes in the film.

SPEAK YOUR AUDIENCE’S LANGUAGE:  Choose one of fourteen subtitle languages to best fit your audience (languages listed below) [Also on the Collector DVD]

GO BEHIND THE SCENES:  Hear Director Rahul Gandotra talk about the life experiences that inspired the film in two Director’s Commentaries Get more of the story with the alternate beginning and other deleted scenes, behind-the-scenes footage, and more.  [Also on the Collector DVD]

Purchase the Professional DVD from Amazon here.

Parents, caregivers and educators of TCKs can order Professional DVDs at a discount by emailing Heidi Tunberg.

Film Description:

“Growing up in England, ten-year old Pico never wanted to go to boarding school in the Himalayas, and despite the beauty there, he struggles to fit in. When he’s bullied for insisting he’s British in spite of his Indian heritage, he runs away, determined to return to his home in London. As he journeys through a country foreign to him, Pico encounters others who mistake him for an Indian boy, forcing him to face the painful truth that the world does not see him the way he sees himself.”

This semi-autobiographical film, shot in the Himalayas around Woodstock International School, is a masterpiece.  Breathtakingly beautiful, it was shortlisted for the Oscars and nominated for the BAFTAs (Britain’s Oscar equivalent) as well as winning scores of awards at film festivals around the world.  But for those who understand the experience of being a Hidden Immigrant – where how you look outside doesn’t fully match how you feel inside – it is more than a lovely movie.  It is also heart-stirring.  It illustrates that experience with poignancy and humor, evoking laughter and often a few tears.  I have literally watched it over 100 times, and it never gets old.  

The writer and director spent the first 9 years of his life in the UK and Saudi Arabia before returning to his parents’ homeland in India.  The film is loosely based on his early days at Woodstock International School.

Read more about the film or watch it online for free at the director’s website

Dialogue:  English & Hindi (with English subtitles for the Hindi)

Subtitles (DVD version):  English (full dialogue), French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Greek, and Arabic

The Road Home

“Growing up in England, ten-year old Pico never wanted to go to boarding school in the Himalayas, and despite the beauty there, he struggles to fit in. When he’s bullied for insisting he’s British in spite of his Indian heritage, he runs away, determined to return to his home in London. As he journeys through a country foreign to him, Pico encounters others who mistake him for an Indian boy, forcing him to face the painful truth that the world does not see him the way he sees himself.”

This semi-autobiographical film, shot in the Himalayas around Woodstock International School, is a masterpiece. Breathtakingly beautiful, it was shortlisted for the Oscars and nominated for the BAFTAs (Britain’s Oscar equivalent) as well as winning scores of awards at film festivals around the world. But for those who understand the experience of being a Hidden Immigrant – where how you look outside doesn’t fully match how you feel inside – it is more than a lovely movie. It is also heart-stirring. It illustrates that experience with poignancy and humor, evoking laughter and often a few tears.  I have literally watched it over 100 times, and it never gets old.  

The writer and director spent the first 9 years of his life in the UK and Saudi Arabia before returning to his parents’ homeland in India. The film is loosely based on his early days at Woodstock International School.

Read more about the film or watch it online for free at the director’s website

Want your own copy, or want to watch it in another language?  The Collector’s DVD comes with extra features like commentaries, including one that tells the director’s own TCK story and how he came to make this film, *PLUS* subtitles in 14 languages (all translated by fellow TCKs).

Want to use the film in a TCK group, conference or classroom?  The Professional DVD comes with a screening license for groups of any size *PLUS* two professional commentaries, discussion questions, and more.  Purchase it from Amazon here. Parents, caregivers and educators of TCKs can order Professional DVDs at a discount by emailing Heidi Tunberg.

Dialogue:  English & Hindi (with English subtitles for the Hindi)

Subtitles (DVD version):  English (full dialogue), French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia, Thai, Greek, and Arabic

Patches the Moving Bear

I HIGHLY recommend this small book for children who are moving to a new location, especially one far away. It gives wise advice presented through the story of Patches, a teddy bear who moves frequently (so far, he has lived in Russia, Ecuador, Ukraine, and Paraguay).

The story isn’t so much about the process of moving as it is about how to say goodbye to a place, and how to carry your memories and use them to comfort yourself when you are homesick for your previous home(s). It closes with a question that will help young readers think about their own plan for saying goodbye – perhaps by trying some of Patches’ strategies. The practical ideas illustrated in this small book are based on sound psychology. Young readers who follow Patches’ example will be better prepared to settle into their new homes because they’ve said goodbyes well to their last one.

Unlike most children’s stories about moving which assume a move within the same country, both the story and the illustrations in this this book make it clear that Patches is making an international move. That makes it especially relevant for young Third Culture Kids moving internationally with their expat parents.

While the book is written for children, its advice would be of value to TCKs moving at any age – even as adults!

Reading level: 3 to 7 years

Adelina Aviator

Little Adelina loves to help her father repair airplanes. When her family decides to move to the jungle to be missionary pilots, she has to say goodbye to all the people, places & things she knows & loves. When fear sets in, she finds comfort in her beloved Aviator Bear, and strength in God who gives her “courage bigger than the sky” so she can boldly set out on her new adventure.

This wonderful book for missionary kids has appealing illustrations & a sweet story. The twist at the end brought tears to my eyes.

Reading level: 3 to 7 years

Swallow Me, Now!

Ten-year old Samantha is about to start her fifth school.  After living in Nepal for several years, she and her family have returned “home” to Australia, but Sam has had a hard time fitting in.

Assigned to sit at a table with the “mean girls”, Sam feels excluded. When she is teased for ineptly explaining her parents’ jobs, she defends herself with a wild story about her mom, but that only makes things worse. As she gets in deeper trying to defend the lie the mocking gets meaner and Sam becomes more and more miserable until things finally reach a breaking point.

Though the story is about a young TCK the major theme of the book is how to recognize and handle subtle and overt bullying.

Ages 8-12

Available on Kindle here

Hidden in My Heart: A TCK’s journey through cultural transition

In a series of very vulnerable journal entries, 14-year-old Taylor processes her emotions of her transition to Japan when she was 9 and the difficulties and joys of life there. While on home assignment in the US, Taylor finally let herself grieve losses and name her emotions. The book is split into 2 sections: the first part is focused on her pain and in the second is able to see the joys in her experiences.

It can be hard to read about her loneliness and how desperately she wanted to fit in with the Japanese people around her. I just wanted to give her a big hug (but I don’t know her and that would be weird!). Seeing how God put caring people in her life even when she couldn’t recognize them as blessings is encouraging and a reminder that God is with all of us in our grief and transition and language learning and every difficulty.