Sundance: Meghan Markle backs doc on Girl Scouts cookies
What's the story
Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, has opened up about her experience as an executive producer for the Sundance Film Festival documentary Cookie Queens. The film, directed by Alysa Nahmias, follows four young Girl Scouts in their quest to sell cookies. In a recent interview with Variety, Markle, a former Scout herself, shared her thoughts on the film and its themes.
Markle's insights
'Impactful tools you're learning...to carry through in your life'
"What's so fantastic about the experience of being a Girl Scout...is I don't think you understand just how impactful all of those tools that you're learning are going to carry through in your life later on," said Markle. "What I love about...this film...is it gives such an objective point of view about girlhood, humanity, but also how they're leveraging technology, how they're learning micro-finance." "All of these elements that are baked in...to the tradition of the Girl Scouts's cookie season."
Film's focus
'Cookie Queens' explores economics through young Girl Scouts
The documentary, which has a runtime of 91 minutes, delves into the world of economics as it follows the sales journey of four young Girl Scouts. One of the girls, Olive, a 12-year-old from North Carolina, once sold over 8,000 boxes in a season! The film captures their experiences and families as they navigate their neighborhoods to make sales.
Personal touch
Markle's personal connection to 'Cookie Queens'
Markle also shared her personal connection to the film, saying, "I just thought, 'Oh my gosh, it would be such a privilege to uplift and support this so that people even if they aren't Girl Scouts and don't understand the tradition can have this glimpse into the families and what adolescence looks like for young girls in this day and age.'"
Premiere event
'Cookie Queens's premiere featured young stars on the red carpet
The documentary had its Sundance premiere recently, with Markle and Nahmias attending the event. The young stars of the film also joined them on the red carpet, along with Prince Harry. Nahmias revealed that the girls were very pleased with the film and emphasized how important it was for them to see each other's stories reflected in one another.