Paper Clips

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Paper Clips ★★★ 2004 (G)

A middle school class in Whitwell, Tennessee, a small rural town with virtually no Jews, few minorities, and within 100 miles of the KKK's headquarters inspires the world through a class project in this powerful documentary. During their studies of the Holocaust, the students discovered that in Norway, where the paper clip was invented, citizens wore paper clips on their lapels in protest of the Nazis. They begin writing letters to public figures asking for one paper clip each, in hopes of collecting 6 million to match the number of Jews that lost their lives. They receive an overwhelming response from around the world, eventually collecting 29 million. At times a little too tedious and self-congratulatory for its own good, but makes a great tool for discussing diversity education. 87m/C DVD . USD: Jeffrey Ventimilia, Elliot Berlin; W: Jeffrey Ventimilia; C: Michael Marton; M: Charlie Barnett.