The Global Search for Education: Championing Youth and Communities: A Conversation with Filmmaker Josh Leong

This month, audiences can screen Chicken on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated by Planet Classroom.

Chicken, directed by Webby Award®-winning filmmaker Josh Leong, tells the powerful story of Shrue (Jordan Biggs), a 16-year-old father in a Bronx juvenile prison, as he learns fatherhood by raising a chicken while awaiting his court date.

Featuring Biorkys Acosta and Opal Besson, the film highlights the struggles of unjustly detained boys in a flawed justice system.

The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Josh Leong.

Josh, Chicken tackles important societal issues. Now that the film has been out for a year, what have you learned from audience feedback and its distribution that you’re applying to your current projects

One thing that’s really stood out to me is the importance of partnering with organizations that are doing the real work, like Sprout by Design and the NYC Administration for Children’s Services. At the end of the day, my role as a filmmaker is to point audiences to people on the ground. There’s a lot of wisdom in knowing when to take a backseat to the experts. When I make films, I aspire to be more of a listener — never assuming I know the best ways to address issues, but encouraging others to hear directly from partners who’ve spent years in the field and know the system intimately.

The film’s aesthetic choices, such as dim lighting and shallow focus, were praised for their impact. Looking back, do you feel those visual decisions resonated with audiences as you intended? Has your approach to visual storytelling evolved since then?

Many of those visual choices came intuitively with our incredible DP, Luc Ung! We knew we wanted to initially light the detention centers in a way that externalized the loneliness and isolation a resident might feel (especially when first admitted to a facility). As the film progresses, we introduce more natural light with the chicks. It adds a level of familiarity and warm comfort that stems from community with other residents — reminding audiences that, at the end of the day, these characters are just kids playing together.

Chicken has been described as both powerful and emotionally distant. How have you reflected on the balance between thematic storytelling and character development? Has this influenced how you approach character depth in your upcoming films?

It was really important to me to present a protagonist with positive development. Shrue is a character who initially believes he’s too far gone to be a father. By the end of the film, I wanted to portray a boy who discovers he actually has the ability to care for another living thing. In a system where so many children lack role models, it was a priority to paint a picture of hope: we’re not defined by our past mistakes, and we have what it takes to turn a new leaf. I hope my future work continues to be marked by positive, hopeful characters — ones that inspire others to keep fighting, persevering, and believing that their journeys can be redeemed.

Now that Chicken has made its mark, can you share what you’re currently working on and how the process of creating and distributing Chicken has shaped your approach to filmmaking moving forward?

Chicken has been so formative in solidifying my mission as a filmmaker. More than ever before, I recognize my responsibility to tell stories that uplift communities and challenge the stigma surrounding real issues. I believe filmmaking can’t just exist in the bubble of “entertainment.” It has to go beyond — advocating for change and empowering others to take action. Currently, I’m in the final stages of developing a feature film raising awareness for the orphan crisis in Ethiopia. It’s an honor to continue telling stories that empower youth and children around the world — believing that our perspectives inspire tangible change in communities all around us.

Thank you, Josh!

C.M. Rubin with Josh Leong

Don’t miss Chicken, now streaming on the Planet Classroom Network. This film is curated by Planet Classroom.