Q&A with Joanne Hock

Stereotypes of black youth are turned upside down in this inspirational documentary shadowing six high-school students on an emotionally powerful, three-year journey of transformation in racially biased Charlotte, North Carolina. With access to arts and academic mentors, the film’s teenage subjects have the potential to break the cycle of poverty, homelessness, and gang-related violence. They are given an opportunity to transcend their circumstances through a triumphant musical production, an experience that ultimately propels them into a world of opportunity they never expected. Purple Dreams bears witness to the need for arts education, especially in underserved communities.