I am the change film project

A student who distributes books to Atm guards, a auto rickshaw guy who runs a free library for his passengers, a Computer engineer who distributes slippers, a cobbler who gives food to ants…
These are some of everyday heroes who are making a difference by small acts of kindness.

We invite new, amateur and professional filmmakers to come together and share their stories through short film. Participate in ” I am the change film project 09′

Competition : 1st – 4th October

Submission deadline: 10th September

Make a film, make a difference

for more info : www.mammovies.com

What's your gift ? project

The ‘What’s Your Gift? Project’ started by an everyday hero Chintan Modi is based on a deep conviction that each one of us has gifts to offer, and that it is the sharing of these gifts in a spirit of service that can well become an organizing principle for the way we live. This project is a humble effort to look for, document and share the stories of those beautiful people who’ve recognized their gifts and are using them generously for the benefit of others. This project will lead into an e-book that would be freely shared as a gift.

Supporting this project further we are making short films on them through, I am the change film project, where 101 filmmakers make films on 101 social causes in 101 hours. This challenge will take place during ‘Joy of giving week’, where entire India will be celebrating kindness in action. We need your help in spreading these ripples. Here’s how you can participate:

• Filmmakers: Register for ‘I am the change film project’
• Writers: write a brief story on a everyday hero and send it to us.
• Kind souls: Do small act of kindness during joy of giving week.

Contribute / volunteer to any of the above causes through your own gift to make this initiative a beautiful experience.

For more information
What’s your gift project: whatsyourgiftproject@gmail.com
I am the change film project: www.mammovies.com
Joy of giving week : www.joyofgivingweek.org

Few stories of everyday heroes:

* A musician who takes people on trips to Ladakh and Kashmir — trips that are less touristy, and more of an exploration into how our lifestyle choices impact the earth in hazardous ways, because of our callous preference for convenience and comfort over the health of the universe that sustains us in the first place

* A social psychologist who devotes much of her time to connecting people that might be able to benefit, support and learn from each other.

* A professional photographer who takes out time to teach photography to the blind.

* A college student who buys footwear for those who have none from his own pocket money.

Sankalp Forum

Recently as part of our Seva Journals program we had the opportunity to make 49 films on various social entrepreneurs from all over India. Here’s more information on Sankalp Forum which was organized by Intellecap to bring together these entrepreneurs with venture capitalists.

You can also see the short films on selected entrepreneurs here.

Sankalp (English: Pledge or Determination) is conceived as a South Asia Social Enterprise and Investment Forum with the primary goal of bringing together various stakeholders sharing a common conviction that capital should be invested to create multiple bottom-line returns (financial, social and environmental) and not exclusively financial (profit-maximizing) or social (philanthropic) returns.

Sankalp 2009 is an effort to discover, connect and support the most investible social MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium enterprises) operating in high impact sectors such as:

• Agriculture and Rural Innovations

• Education for all

• Environment & Clean Energy

• Healthcare Inclusion

• Highly Scalable Social Models

The camera saved their lives (Article featured in DNA)

For these young women, a life behind a camera changed their view on the world in front of it

There was a life before they went behind the camera. And now there’s quite a life after it. Neha, Jyotsna, Sree, Trisha, Nita, Rima, Ayesha and Shabnam, have felt that change.
Some of these girls are helping people like Raziya, 33, and Atmadevi, 27, from Dharavi understand the power of the camera and the strength of collective action.

Recently, when people of Muslimnagar in Dharavi took out a demonstration against an official in the civil supplies department, who wouldn’t issue them ration cards without a bribe, the camera became their weapon. The official had been brushing them off for months, but when he saw Ayesha, Shabnam, Raziya, and Atmadevi filming the demonstration on a handycam, he blinked. Within three months, every one of the protestors got their ration card. Click here to read the complete article.

Film workshop in IFMR, Chennai

On June 2nd We were invited to conduct a one day film workshop in IFMR Chennai (Institute for financial Management and Research). It was a first time when we were doing such a crash course and the task was to compile everything in just 4 Hours. We were pleasantly surprised to see the participants of the workshop were Students from some of the top most business schools in the world (Harvard, Cambridge, SRCC etc) who had come for an internship in IFMR.

Conducting workshop in Dharavi slums (She creates project) to prestigious Business schools, the experience was truly enriching.

Another effort to share stories for change.

MAM films screens at Kerela

Films from ‘She creates’ and ‘Genesis film project’ were screened in St Mary’s college, Thrissur (Kerela, India) as part of their Teen Reels Film Festival on 18th November 2007.

The festival reflects their spirit through these lines written in their brochure:

“What Teen Reels brings before you is not the cry of the children lost in wilderness…but experiences that scarred, molded and inspired…expressions that touch, baffle and shock… “

Our sincere thanks to Benedict varghese and Dr Sr. Jesme (principal of St. Mary’s college) for showing these films.

SHE Creates in DNA-Me

The following is the link for the article covering SHE Creates, featuring on 2nd December, 2007. The article is in page 66-67.

http://epaper.dnaindia.com/epapermain.aspx?queryed=26&eddate=12/2/2007

The blessed ones :)

Dearest Team,

sharing with you a heartfelt letter written by friends from Apne Aap organization who participated in ‘She Creates’ Project. we all are truly blessed for being the instrument through which god manifested these seeds of love.

In togetherness today

madhu :)

9th October 2007
Dear Mr Madhusudan,
The most wonderful learning experience which has left a strong and pleasant effect in our hearts and minds. A project that was conceived, planned, and executed brilliantly. Your team was a delight to work with, the way you skilled, took care, and worked with all the girls was commendable. From the time your team approached us till the last day of the workshop everything was managed from the heart with genuine efforts. Indeed your whole team worked very very hard but the efforts put in by you is creditable and commendable which was until the end of time supported by your wife Meghna. Throughout the whole project you’ll took care of all the girls and always made them feel at home, their minutest doubts were catered to every time. Not at any single point any of us felt uncomfotable or not looked after, you’ll were all the time with all of us. Our girls were indeed extremely lucky to be a part of this project, they have learnt all aspects of film making – script writing, dividing the story with its related aspects, filtering the script, how to properly and safely function the camera, different shooting frames and angels, Capturing the footage on computer, editing, selecting the best shot, adding the correct music, recording their voice over and song etc.Over and above their self confidence was geared to great peak.

The care, love and concern the whole MAM team expressed for all the girls was clearly visible in their verbal as well as in their non verbal gestures. It’s a project, we all would definitely never forget and our girls plan to teach film- making to all the other girls at the organisation and make more films on reality issues.Surely to transmit your efforts to great heights.

Thanks is definitely a very small word for your unconditional love and hard work behind this venture. We are extremely grateful to your entire team for giving our girls this precious platform which has transformed their lifes.

Once again we express gratitude to Mam Movies and we hope to be associated to you in the coming future.

Thank You,
Yours truly,

(Manju Vyas)
(Raheen Jummani)

Scans of Media Coverage

DNA

 

 

Indian Express

 

 

Mumbai Mirror

 

Loksatta

 

 

 

 

 

SHE and I

The memory still lingers in my head. “What motivates you to do what you do,” I remember asking a teacher of mine on the last day of mine in seventh standard. With a sweet smile she replied, “Akash, the answer cannot be said in words. You have to experience it.”

Today I can proudly say that I know the answer to the question.

After spending over a month with 25 girls, each one as different from the other like the sky and the earth, I know what it feels to have touched others lives. I know now, why since ancient times, being a teacher is considered to be such a sacred profession. I know how spreading the light of knowledge can make the world a brighter place

Over the course of SHE Creates, we went through everything a teacher would go through with a student. There were bouts of anger. There were times we had to be strict and keep our foot down. There were moments of encouragement. I will never forget the time Rahul and I speaking sense into the Bombay Cambridge girls.

And how can I forget teacher’s day? When I went on to perform my mentoring duties to Apne Aap, the girls had actually prepared a small dance for me. At that moment, I could hear my teacher’s voice in my head, “You have to experience it.”

In an earlier blog entry, Madhusudan has written, “What are we getting out of all this?” I think we all know what each one of us got.

In the entire team of SHE Creates, I can proclaim myself to have been the first person to have met all the 25 girls. They were shy. They were nervous. They afraid to speak. But most importantly, they were curious. After my interview with Uncle’s Coaching Classes, I was packing the GL2 camera, when little Nazmeen, tugged at my sleeves and inquired, “Humein bhi yehi camera milne waala hain? “Are we getting this camera?”

I think that moment made me realize that it was going to be worth an effort. And 40 days later, there is no doubt about that. The same girls, who were stammering in front of my camera, were giving interviews on radio shows and TV channels.

And even as the curtains are drawn over this beautiful event, the pondering never seizes.
There is a saying in the Talmud, a holy book of the Jews, which when translated into English, roughly means, “Whoever changes one life. Changes the world entire.”

You do the math.