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  (Photo: The 5 Stones Group)
  “Yellow Roses: Real Girls. Real Life. Real Hope,” released in September, features interviews with teen girls struggling with self-esteem and self-image issues as they grow up in contemporary culture.

Teenage girls are speaking out about the struggles of growing up in the 21st century.

The recently released film “Yellow Roses: Real Girls. Real Life. Real Hope” illustrates how today’s generation of young girls are having to deal with self-esteem and self-image issues at a different level compared to their parents and grandparents.

One of the girls in the film says, “It’s just coming at you from all angles with everyone saying how you’re supposed to look and what you’re supposed to do … When I didn’t automatically fit in and I saw that people were making fun of me, I’d just go home and cry … On the inside, I just hated myself and I thought, why am I not enough?”

Director Mike Edwards said the idea for the film came after wrapping up his previous film, “Every Young Man’s Battle” in 2003, which addressed similar issues except among teenage boys.

Edwards told The Christian Post that the purpose of the film was to let the audience know that wherever you are or whatever struggle you have, God is there.

“God is waiting; He will meet you where you are,” he said.

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With over 14 years of experience in the industry, Edward has been honored with six Emmy Awards, four Addy awards and one Telly award. He is also the founder of The 5 Stones Group, a film and documentary production company.

”Yellow Roses” takes you into the world of teen girls and lets you watch and listen as they courageously share their fears, their struggles, and even their most personal experiences and feelings, with a candor that is both touching and refreshing.

“We wanted it to be a peer-to-peer communication; we wanted to let the girls talk,” Edwards explained about the featured interviews. “They were very candid. I was really surprised at their candor.”

The film follows various girls – some Christian, some not – through their struggles and confronts the issues of pressure, technology, relationships, abuse and hope.

Regarding technology, Edwards wanted to draw attention to the generational gap between teens and their parents which makes it difficult for youths to talk with their parents about such problems as cyber bullying and sexting.

“One of the most common things that all the girls said was that they wanted to be able to talk to their parents more,” Edwards highlighted.

On the heels of the film’s release, an eight-week video teaching and 68-page discussion guide will be available early 2011. Targeted to teens, college girls, and parents, resources will be distributed to youth groups and schools around the country.

“We just want to get the message out and change people’s lives,” the director stressed.

On the Web:  www.yellowrosesfilm.com