Wanda's Picks Radio: Kelly J Richardson, dir. Without a Net

Take 2: Kelly J Richardson, Director | Producer | Cinematographer | Co-Editor of Without a Net, opening at Doc Fest this weekend, Nov. 10 at the Roxie Theatre in San Francisco. On the show last week, we decided to extend the conversation today on her project which lives off the screen as well as on (smile). A graduate from Berkeley High School,  Kelly J Richardson is the founder and executive director of Live Wired Productions, based in San Francisco, California. Her passions in performance art and social justice are expressed through her film work. She has directed and produced several short student films and Without A Net is her feature-directing debut. She has received numerous grants and awards from government agencies and private foundations, including a Fulbright scholarship for the production of Without A Net. She holds a B.A. from U.C. Berkeley. Visithttp://www.withoutanetfilm.com/ STORY: Djeferson, Bárbara, Rayana and Platini live in a drug controlled slum of Rio de Janeiro. Their families are struggling, their homes are physically unstable, and everyone they know has dropped out of school. When a big-top circus tent suddenly appears in a nearby parking lot, they decide to take a chance. They learn trapeze, acrobatics, juggling and contortion, then audition for the end-of-year show, rehearse and prepare for the curtains to part on opening night. Along the way, WITHOUT A NET explores the connections between risk, desire, poverty and circus and celebrates the perseverance and resilience of youth in the face of tremendous odds. We close with an interview with Ava DuVernay, director of I Will Follow which opens nationally this month.