All the Difference

Young African American Men and Their College Experiences

Inspired by New York Times bestseller "The Other Wes Moore", Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning producer/director Tod Lending presents ALL THE DIFFERENCE, an acclaimed film about African-American manhood.

Filmed over five and a half years, ALL THE DIFFERENCE weaves together the stories of two tough, yet promising young black men as they navigate broken homes and low-income, high-risk communities in Chicago. Although statistics predict they will drop out of high school and succumb to life on the streets both graduate and go on to college in spite of all the odds. After they graduate, the film follows them for another 6 months as they both find meaningful work in community service.

The film explores the factors (education, parents and grandparents, teachers, role models, personal drive and community support) that enabled them to be the first in their families to escape poverty and secure a place in the middle class.

"A powerful reminder that school resources remain unequal, that bias continues to affect the opportunities black boys have access to, and that simply enrolling first-generation college students in universities is not enough; schools must develop support systems to help them graduate."-- The Atlantic

"Oscar-nominated director Tod Lending does an outstanding job of taking viewers inside the hopes and fears of the two as they graduate from the charter school and start their college careers...'All the Difference' will make viewers think, no doubt about it."--The Baltimore Sun