So often we anxiously await the premiere of a highly anticipated film, but sometimes the best films sneak up on us unexpectedly. I received a fairly last-minute invite to a premiere screening of this new documentary, Step.  I hadn’t really heard much about it. Yes, it had screened at Sundance. The screening was for Tuesday night, the night following a late night out at the Gorillaz concert. Normally I would pass on two school nights out in a row, especially at the start of the week, but something about this film intrigued me. A little extra caffeine and boy am I ever glad I attended the screening.

It is an inspirational story about a school that focuses on developing opportunities for young girls to attend college and university, girls who would otherwise not have been able to, to gain confidence, reach their potential and capitalize on scholarship opportunities. One little bit of background on the film and the school is that director Amanda Lipitz’s mother, Brenda Brown Rever, if the founder of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. The school was modelled after similar schools in NYC. This first time in a very long time that I have shed tears of JOY in a documentary. This school model seems to be serving its students very well and should be studied for broader application. It is probably best not to read too much about the film and spoil the stories of the girls in this documentary. That would take the joy out of the film.

After the screening we had an amazing opportunity for a Q&A session with Amanda Lipitz, three girls who are spotlighted in the film and their amazing mentors – the school’s college administration consultant and the Step coach.

I highly recommend this feel good doc!