NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – A new documentary from Nashville filmmakers aims to shed light on childhood bullying and what can be done to combat it.
The film, called Hear Me Now, will be screened for the first time on November 3 at the Belcourt Theater.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in five students report being bullied at school. One in every six students say they are bullied online.
Hear Me Now Director Bill Cornelius was bullied as a child after moving to a new town.
“I got bullied for being not only the new kid, but being a kid from the south. I had an accent, and it just kind of snowballed from there. When you’re bullied, especially for an extended length of time, it’s something that doesn’t really leave you,” he told 8News sister station News 2.
Cornelius’ experience as child led him to begin working on the documentary four years ago.
According to the documentary, bullying has led to hundreds of suicides of teens and children.
Cornelius and his team hope to change those statistics.
“We’ve always said that if we save at least one life, we’ve done our job as far as the film is concerned. Our target audience for the film is young people. We want to give them a film that they feel like they can watch and feel like they’re not alone,” said Cornelius.
