Films for change
November 2013 Have camera, will make a difference!
Idealism is on the rise, and everywhere new initiatives to foment positive change in society are emerging. A case in point is the recently concluded film festival, Yes! i am the CHANGE, jointly produced by MAM Movies and Yes Foundation. The idea behind the project was to empower youth and other sections of society to make films as a way of bringing about change in society itself. Launched in June 2013 with a road trip across the country, 54 film-making workshops were organised in 17 cities for a motley group of students that included youth overcoming drug addiction in Dehra Dun, pre-primary school teachers in a small village, local NGos and students from prestigious IIMs and IITs. Altogether, 500 teams comprising 2100 film-makers made five-minute films on social causes, NGOs, everyday heroes and random acts of kindness in just 101 hours. The best of the films were later screened at the Nehru Centre in Mumbai. One memorable film featured a gentleman whose mission was to grow trees and serve Mother Nature, while another made an impassioned plea for inclusivity of the LGBT community. Another pleaded for sensitivity to animals. Others argued for the importance of honouring our senior citizens, alleviating poverty and hunger, and reducing child mortality. Many of these films, which showcased the work of NGOs, will be used to promote their work. Some of the films were sophisticated and well made. Others were not, for almost all of them were by rank amateurs, but what they lacked in talent they made up in heart. Says Madhusudan Aggarwal, the moving force behind MAM Movies, “The most beautiful thing about this project is that it helps us discover the innate goodness that is lurking in each human being, which comes to the surface when we encourage them to make films on love and inspiration.” He shares that a young FTII film-maker, Puraj Kumar, affirmed that although in the line of his work he had met many luminaries, it was making a film on an agarbati seller for Yes! I am the CHANGE that truly transformed him. May the force be with these fledgeling film-makers and may the goodness released by this venture circulate and snowball through society.
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