Producer Erin Bernhardt on inspiring documentary 'Imba Means Sing'
“Meeting these kids completely changed my life and my perspective on everything – they are just incredible” – producer, Erin Bernhardt
In 2007, humanitarian journalist, writer and filmmaker Erin Bernhardt visited Uganda for the first time. During her journey, she came across the African Children’s Choir, an organization for children aged 7-12 encouraging them to sing in a bid to raise money for their education. Bernhardt was determined to help this inspiring and life-changing organization after falling in love with the cause, the charity and the children. She says, “This is by far the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life and by far the best and most meaningful.”
A former writer at CNN and member of the Peace Corps, Bernhardt is no stranger to producing and filmmaking having won an Emmy and two Peabodys for her work as a journalist. In her hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Bernhardt is part of the LEAD Atlanta and the Beltline’s Young Advisory Council, who aims to create awareness in the developing world. Imba Means Sing follows 20 members of the African Children’s Choir as they are given the life-altering opportunity to tour the United States, Canada and part of the UK across 500 days in a bid to raise money to further their education. We, as a viewer, witness their amazing journey every step of the way.
Throughout a period of six months, Bernhardt worked non-stop to raise enough funding for the project. “I reached out to everyone that I had ever met,” she says, “I’m really passionate, and I think my passion spoke to a lot of people who wanted to jump on board and help.” Bernhardt continued, “I raised a tremendous amount of money which was amazing, but also very stressful not knowing if we were going to be able to go on the next shoot or be able to pay my crew on time – but we did it!”
One of the individuals who witnessed Bernhardt’s passion for the project was filmmaker and editor Danielle Bernstein, who swiftly came on board as director of the project. “When I decided to leave CNN and make this film independently, Danielle was just a natural fit. I’m very much a journalist, and she is very much a creative artist so for us to be able to use both our skills was a perfect fit.”
Although Imba Means Sing follows 20 children of the choir as they tour the West, the story of one little boy shines through. Moses – only eight-years-old – grew up in the slums of Kampala, Uganda with his family who lacked the resources to allow even him to attend the first grade of school. This intimate character portrait follows Moses as he fulfils his dream of singing and eventually attending school – despite being apart from his family for such a long duration of time.
“Moses is just one of the most incredible people I have ever met,” recalls Bernhardt. “Having changed my life eight years ago, getting to spend so much time with him and the kids was remarkable. This kid has such a weight on his shoulders so seeing him so happy throughout this process was something that I treasured.” Other members of the choir include Angel – who aspires to be the first female president of Uganda – and Nina, who dreams of becoming a paediatrician. “I treated these kids as if they were my own and American in terms of having all of their legal documents,” says Bernhardt. “Them being able to understand what was going was something that I took very seriously.”
Imba Means Sing was a challenging and time-consuming four-year project. Despite the many challenges that Levin and her team faced, the producer stated that, during one specific day of shooting the film, she was fortunate enough to witness something amazing. “Seeing Moses reunite with his mother after so long was unreal and by far one of the greatest things I will get to see in my whole life.” As well as this rewarding moment, viewers can see the children visiting dozens of families, learning how to use a toothbrush, and riding in the co-pilot seat of an American jet plane.
“Making this film was just a joyful experience and getting to show the world the Africa that I see which isn’t just poverty and corruption – it’s full of hope, beauty and potential,” says Bernhardt. “I just continue to want to be more like them and hopefully all of us will appreciate what we have a lot more than we do.” She adds, “The best day of my life was my wedding day and the second best day of my life will be December 4th when the film comes out.”
Imba Means Sing is truly a unique and inspiring film that has the ability to change lives. “My goal always has been for this to be a lot more than a film to really make a difference,” affirms Bernhardt. “My goal is for a million people to see it and be inspired that they tutor somebody, donate their old guitar, go to Africa – just something, anything.”