hello there i'm writing as director of a new documentary with gael garcia bernal called resist. (there is a massive social outreach plan that we are implementing as well!) as it is not something that is very often discussed in the film world, i'm just wondering how you guys define systemic change as it is something we are very interested in inspiring with our project. m

Hello Marc, Sandy's definition of "systemic change" is dead-on. I would also add that systemic change involves lasting and positive change at every level throughout a process, an organization or an existing social structure. So take as one example the social problem of access to water in a developing regions. Systemic change would be needed not only in creating a sustainable water delivery system to urban and rural communities in that region, it also involves other issues along the chain, such as water privatization and government policies re: corporate interests, disinfection and water treatment, hygiene and public health policies, education about consumption, empowerment for the poor in claiming their rights to common utilities, etc. It would also involve systemic change in all related processes to make them more sustainable. Systemic change is best looked at as agitating local and global reform at every given point along a circle of conditions relating to an issue. To dial back to the topic at hand, FLOW For Love of Water is a brilliant film (releasing on August 22nd in New York) about human rights issues arising from the privatization of water-- and does a very good job dealing with what's needed to effect systemic change on this issue. See www.flowthefilm.com for the outreach campaign dealing with change around water issues.

I've heard about Resist and your campaign website. It's beautifully done and I'd love to know more about it. I'm naturally curious, because I've done a lot of strategy work in outreach for initiatives leading to change in the areas of rights, development and sustainability. I've been lucky enough to have worked on the outreach campaigns for films like Born into Brothels (I was the ED of the related nonprofit) and The Devil Came on Horseback-- which the Washington Post just named one of the 10 most influential documentaries! I believe the outreach campaign for "The Devil" in particular helped create change by raising awareness and focusing on divestment as a means to create change on the ground. Please take a look at a discussion by one of my colleagues about the outreach campaign for The Devil Came on Horseback at www.theartofsocialchange.com (disclosure: I launched The Art of Social Change as a networking site which aims to create a knowledge base for nonprofits and activists in the use of film, art and media to effect social change. It is housed at arttribesnetwork.com).

Good luck, Marc! Lina Srivastava-- Lina Srivastava Consulting

Hi Lina, Thanks for sharing the arttribesnetwork.com. Does anyone else know of other places where either social entrepreneurs can find filmmakers, or venues for filmmakers to connect with social ventures seeking documentaries or short films to document their work?

For more background on effective story telling and opportunities, see also:

film opportunities http://www.socialedge.org/features/opportunities/topics/film

Story Telling in the Modern World (from the Skoll World Forum) http://www.socialedge.org/features/skoll-world-forum/skoll-world-forum-2008-sessions/swf2008-23

Story Telling and Social Change http://www.socialedge.org/features/skoll-world-forum/features/skoll-world-forum/discussions/marketing-communication/storytelling-and-social-change/

other story telling discussions on Social Edge http://www.socialedge.org/search?SearchableText=story+telling

Thanks for setting up your ning.com page. I have been trying to draw people from forums like Social Edge to action planning/collaboration sites like ning for quite a while. Without regular advertising (emotional appeal) it's difficult for most of us to build participation in an on-line forum, or on-going support for a social change.

I think that the discussions you're hosting illustrate the power of film to build interest. If they can be continued over many years, and point to web forums with information about why, where, and how someone can get involved with the cause, I think they can even lead to systemic social change.

The reason I feel the interent is such a powerful tool is that I feel we need to see more efforts to "map" systemic change. There are free tools that enable this to happen. For instance, if we want a five year old in Chicago to be starting a job by age 25, he needs to be helped through various stages of growth. If he lives in a high poverty neighborhood, this help may need to be supported by extra adults. Here's a map of that idea: http://cmapspublic.ihmc.us/servlet/SBReadResourceServlet?rid=1190497420500_1851012989_12726&partName=htmltext

If those creating documentaries are also partnering with people mapping the actions that need to be taken, this can lead to more people doing the right thing at the right time, in the right place(s), rather than more random acts of kindness that are not sustained or well distributed.

I hope we can continue this type of discussion in forums like Ning.com

Hi Lina

My Name is Yosef Haimanot and I was born In Ethiopia and grow up in United Kingdom. After completing my master degree from university of Newport Wales, I went back to Ethiopia after 20 something years to produce a feature length documenter film, based on my life and my life experience in Ethiopia title ‘Mothersland’ and what I have found is No Change at all. Therefore, for me Systemic Change it has two elements,

1. The west and America, 2. Africa

To change the mind set of Western and American people it is simple and started forward, because the education system is well organized and delivered, the system is set to question, to discuss and to solve a problem what ever that it may be.

But the African education system is the opposite of that, it is not well organized and delivered, they are not encourage to question, in fact they are discourage questing anything special the system, there is no discussions about particular issues or given any kind of task where they could solve a problem and be proud about themselves.

Therefore, in Africa the Systemic Change is very difficult. But to achieve this what Ethiopian Art Centre UK are doing is, to build Ethiopian Art Academe/College, where we can teach young people about filmmaking, photograph, and theatre and long side of this we will set up various businesses which it will support the subject that we are providing and this will show the young generation, how to question, discuss, solve the problem and make something, short film, photograph or street theatre about your family, the land, the system anything you want, and this it will lead to achieving Systemic Change in Africa.

Hello Daniel and Yosef, Thanks so much for reaching out to me.

Daniel, thanks very much for joining The Art of Social Change at ArtTribesNetwork.com. As we discussed there, I've been playing with visual representations of systemic change in rights/media for a while, trying to figure out how best to map connected and overlapping factors/requirements/solutions. The fact that I'm not a designer has complicated the process of coming up with these concept maps-- as well the regional considerations that you, Yousef, interestingly point out. (I'm not sure those of us born or living in the West would agree that systemic change here is as straightforward as we'd hope it could be-- we live with and haven't yet figured out how to shift existing frameworks that don't always allow for change under our national skin. But I won't dispute that we in the US can access tools to implement change more easily than other regions of the world.)

To Yousef's post, systemic change is very dependent on the regional context in which change efforts are being made. I agree with Arthur's post below, about the need for aspiration to big ideas and global solutions, but solutions need to be implemented with regard to regional/local needs. And so local solutions-building and knowledge-sharing is deeply important-- which is where storytelling can play a fantastic role. To dial back to Marc's post, he and the creators of Resist have created a powerful and useful process in engaging their current and potential audience through their network to tell their own stories. (I just wrote about shared content creation and multiplatform delivery at The Art of Social Change, if you want to read more: http://www.arttribesnetwork.com/group/theartofsocialchange/forum/topic/show?id=1996069%3ATopic%3A7220).

Lina

Good Afternoon. I'm Michelle with the Freeplay Foundation, which works in Africa. This is a fabulous opportunity. Are there filmmakers on this discussion that are without current projects? We would be interested in collaboration. Thanks.

I am interesting in talking with you further. I am in the early stages of developing a project with a filmmaker in Tanzania, and am interested in other possibilities as well. Lyn Goldfarb www.documentary-films.tv

I have posted this more than once but don't see it. So I'll repeat what I wrote: I am producing and film on the creative, resourceful, entrepreneurial women cloth dyers of Mali. I'd be interested to know what kind of collaboration you are looking for. Thanks. Maureen G.

Hello Cara & Sandy. I am a Sundance alum having had the film “Death: A Love Story” there in documentary competition in 1999. My current documentary in development is called New Hope Diners and is about the New Hope Diner Project in Providence, RI (see New York Times article 7/14/08 “ Youthful Offenders Restoring Luster to Diners of Old”).

I have been shooting various stages of this project and it’s participants for about a year now. The project was spearheaded by John Scott, Billy Trebelli and Daniel Zilka. The first two men are visionary men who work at the Rhode Island Training School (RITS: our local juvenile detention facility). Daniel Zilka is the director of the American Diner Museum. These men have come together to give new life to old diners and in turn give m=new life to incarcerated youth coming from backgrounds of poverty, violence and crime. The youth are trained in carpentry, restoration, cooking and business management.

The plan is for the youth from the RITS to work in the diners once restored and mounted back in locations all over RI. They will wait tables and possibly manage, maybe even own one someday.

My question is: would this be considered a social entrepreneurship project? In other words, the project is clearly spearheaded and run by ambitious, mission driven individuals tackling a major social issue – re-engaging disenfranchised youth in meaningful lives – but so far, the plan isn’t to actually have the youth running the businesses.

Sorry for such a long e-mail but thought I would pose this question before putting the time into the proposal.

Thanks!

Michelle LE Brun

HI, I'm Rosemary in St. John's Newfoundland. I've been researching a documentary film for the National Film Board of Canada about feminism and globalism. I spent several weeks in Toronto (the world's most ethnically diverse city) in March and I'm returning there again in September. I talked to dozens of women, both new immigrants, second generation Canadians and refugees. The complexities and challenges facing women all around the world as they struggle for, in many cases, the most basic of human rights are almost overwhelming to consider. A number of women were concerned about white middle class feminists riding in to save women around the world, when they really don't have a proper context. For example, not being well aware that the Taliban, the scourge of Afghani women, was basically put in place by the US government. I'm still looking for my story to illuminate this important subject of women's rights globally - any ideas or suggestions are most welcome! Cheers, Rosemary

Thanks everyone for joining us for this online conversation about the Stories of Change fund and collaboration between social entrepreneurs and filmmakers. We very excited to have you with us!

Hi Marc - Great question! When we use the term systemic change, we typically mean fundamentally and permanently shifting how systems operate so that greater social value can be created and livelihoods are improved. For example, eBay created systemic change by introducing online auctions into peer-to-peer commerce. Now it is impossible to imagine going back to the limited efficiency of flea markets and classifieds. We define social entrepreneurs as individuals with innovations that have the potential to create this type of large scale systemic shift addressing major social issues like human rights, environment, poverty, health, peace & security, etc.

Michelle - Thanks for your post. The New Hope Diner Project sounds really interesting. My question would be whether the individuals running the program believe they have a model that has the potential for replication outside Providence and that they could achieve broad systemic change beyond this one project. For example, Dorothy Stoneman at YouthBuild engages at-risk youth in rehabing homes in their inner-city neighborhoods, building their work skills and confidence. Her program is now operating in cities across the country and her model is broadly recognized and accepted. If New Hope seeks that type of impact and is systematically setting out to achieve that goal, then they are social entrepreneurs.

Sally Osberg and Roger Martin's article "Social Entrepreneurship: The Case for Definition" in the Stanford Social Innovation Review has more background on systemic change and the definition of social entrepreneur. http://www.skollfoundation.org/media/skoll_docs/2007SP_feature_martinosberg.pdf

Sandy Thanks for your feedback. They have spoken about creating a national model but I’m not sure how far along they are with the actual specifics. I will find out today when we meet. Thanks so much for this forum – it is a great resource ! Michelle Le Brun

Sandy and Cara: Thanks for the opportunity to participate in the discussion forum.

I recently completed an award-winning documentary film on agriculture, sustainability and the foods we eat. While screening and discussing the film and the issues it raises to audiences across the US and around the world, I encountered a highly regarded paleo anthropologist who is exploring the evolution of diet and nutrition and it's possible relevance to understanding modern health and well-being among humans. His research led him to create a healthy food product that addresses the lack of certain elements in our modern diet that he feels are some of the main causes for the rise in diabetes, heart attacks, strokes and other modern diseases. He now sells this healthy product to the public as a way to get his message on the dietary changes we must make in our lifestyles to avoid these debilitating conditions.

I think his story, where and how he is selling his healthy food product and the changes in the evolution of diets over time would make an engaging, entertaining and life changing film. Do you think this might be an appropriate subject for the Sundance/Skoll "Stories of Change" documentary initiative? If so, what do you think I should emphasize in the proposal: the scientist-entrepreneur and his vision; his groundbreaking research; the healthy food product and the way he is using it to educate and change people's diet in an area of country known for great food and for extreme poverty or ?

Jed Riffe, Ripe for Change

Hi Jed - Based on what you've told us, the paleo anthropologist has an innovation that has the potential to address a fundamental global issue in a systemic way... so he's a social entrepreneur in my book and a film that features him and/or his work would be a good fit for this fund. How you choose to tell the story is really up to you. Is there a specific action or impact you'd like to see as a result of the film, such as wide-spread adoption of his product among a particular demographic?

The 2008 U.S. presidential election has created an unprecedented interest in the voting process and the issues of the candidates over the last 12 months. At Children's Way Foundation, the creator of Woogi World, we are taking this unique opportunity to engage the very young in the voting process. With the help of 55 thousand elementary schoolteachers across the country and Studies Weekly magazine providing the state required curriculum, children will be able to utilize the Woogi World online virtual world to learn about the U.S. voting process. We are combining real world, current events with, school supported education. We believe the result will be a large number of children learning, understanding and participating in subjects relevant to their future lives.

They will learn that voting is both a right and responsibility. They will communicate, collaborate and participate in the process of voting with friends, family, schoolmates both local and global. Equally important, such a program can easily be expanded nationwide reducing the actual cost of the program on a per student basis. If you are a filmmaker looking for a powerful subject to document Please feel free to contact me!

Hello Sandy and Cara and everyone else,

I work for VillageReach, and Skoll generously funded a short documentary film on our health system work in rural Mozambique (www.villagereach.org for the film link). Having had a year to reflect on it, I’m still in awe of the trust that the filmmaker and everyone else puts into the process of capturing the essence of an organization’s work.

And I have a lot of respect for the things that didn’t make it into the film as well. The level of focus required to convey a compelling story in the shortest time possible means that lots of great secondary stories get left out. It’s almost as if there should be a documentary of the documentary process!

For example, the film team was trying to get a shot of our propane lamp in use in a health center, most of which don’t have electricity. They happened to be at a health center that did have electricity at the moment, so the propane lamp was there but not in use. A woman walked into the health center with a newborn baby. She had gone into labor at home and started walking to the health center, but didn’t make it – she gave birth on the side of the road, and then walked the rest of the way into town. She arrived, babe in arms, to visit the medical worker and ensure that everything was fine.

Of course, it would have been great to film their medical exam (and tell that story) by the flickering light of a propane lamp . . . but the electricity was working, so she opted for an exam under the bright glow of fluorescent bulbs instead. Alas, a fascinating situation that didn’t make it into the film for obvious reasons. There are oodles of great stories like this one behind every documentary.

For those of you who walk down the documentary path, enjoy the scenery and have a great time. It’s stressful, and can be a complete rollercoaster with no seatbelts, and worth it in the end. At least we think so. (With kudos to Michael Schwarz and his team at Kikim Media, plus giant thanks to Skoll, for helping us tell our story.)

Hi all.. I wanted to just put forth the link to a video we have up on current TV about the community video units and how Video Volunteers ngo is training people from Indian communities to become their own producers and distributors. On the topic of social entrepeneurship, any suggestions on where else we can post our videos and share and what we can do with these videos once they are made, screened in the community and used as a campaign tool? other than just being interesting, alternative media online.. what other platforms can we post our videos/work to? Do give some input and in the meantime check it out:

http://current.com/items/89174339_movies_moving_mountains#

Hi -

I was wondering if you could talk a little bit more about the expectations for distribution/marketing, interactive elements, and outreach/education. I've read through the guidelines (which are quite helpful) but I was hoping if you could go into a little more detail.

thanks,

Megan

Hi Megan,

Thanks for your question about proposal elements including Distribution and Marketing, Outreach and Engagement, and Interactive Elements. Sundance welcomes the creativity of artists and supports the notion that these activities should reflect the nature of the film and the needs of the topic at hand.

DISTRIBUTION AND MARKETING STRATEGY Characterize the intended distribution life for your film, including relevant broadcast, festival, theatrical, home video distribution intended. Stories of Change is seeking proposals for feature length films (60+ minutes), but can support filmmakers who will conduction versioning for broadcast or educational purposes.

OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT Explain how you would motivate viewers beyond the screening. Characterize any outreach partners intended or secured such as organizations in the host country, cultural or educational institutions. This category is for activities that go above and beyond the work of your distributor, publicist, and speaker bureau. Outreach and Engagement should help activate viewers with your story, region, ideological exploration, issues or campaign. This engagement work might inspire viewers to share the film with others as they get more deeply involved, to take action in specific ways, or to participate in facilitated conversation. Outreach and Engagement activities can be web-based or live.

INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS If applicable, explain how you would enhance your project through multi-platform and ancillary elements. How might these elements be interactive or generate social engagement? Feel free to list technological innovations you might creatively harness. Recent examples from a Sundance Institute grantee (NOT related to social entrepreneurship) includes activities for STATE OF FEAR.

EXAMPLE: Filmed by a U.S./Peruvian team, STATE OF FEAR tells a gripping story of repression and resistance as Peruvian leaders used the threat of terrorism to gut the democracy, making Peru a virtual dictatorship. In 2001 a new democratic government established a Truth and Reconciliation Commission and granted Skylight Pictures access to bring this timely story to an international audience.

The grant will support the film's first screenings in the Quechua language. The screenings will be part of a multi-platform outreach strategy that uses Google mapping to create a truth and justice hub for Peru. The site will receive live news feeds of the Fujimori trials, facilitate human rights social networks, use Twitter to post cellphone text messages from the field, and support ongoing work with the Quechua version of STATE OF FEAR.

Thanks to Michelle Riley (www.freeplayfoundation.org), Rosemary House and Eric Clare for letting us know that they would be interested in finding someone to collaborate with on a Stories of Change proposal. Are there others out there you would also like to tell us about themselves and their interests/work? Perhaps there are more matches that can be discovered here...

Thanks also to Jenny for sharing Village Reach's experience working with Kikim. For some of you a Stories of Change project would be your first filmmaker/social entrepreneur collaboration. Others have been down this road before. I'd love to know more about how people approached such collaboration, what worked well, what some of the unexpected challenges were and how you have used film to create impact on the ground.

Good afternoon. My name is Martin Burt and I am the Executive Director of Fundacion Paraguaya and Teach A Man To Fish. I wanted to thank you for this discussion group because it reinforces what we have learned about the power of storytelling. We are using student interns and (untrained) staff to do short films describing our programs. We are amazed at how much our own clients and beneficiaries appreciate seeing the short films we produce, not to mention our other stakeholders. We hope to do more short films in the future. Thanks again!

Thanks everyone for joining us on Social Edge. We are very excited about the possibilities for this partnership and look forward to some good discussions. I won't add to some of the very good responses that participants are generating, including the discussion on systemic change, and Sandy's response to the New Hope Diner project, which I agree with.

Jed, we would love to see a proposal from you, and it's good to see you in the discussion! Lyn, also good to see you here!

Rosemary, your post brings up and interesting question about how one can work with an issue, in this case feminism and globalism as you say (which might actually be two very different topics), and create a proposal that fits the parameters of the Sundance | Skoll partnership.

In this case, it would be interesting to seek out those who are actively searching for ways to transform the situation of women globally, as well as those working to articulate strategic language and successful initiatives which address this. The Global Fund for Women is one organization you might look at. (www.globalfundforwomen.org)

For a proposal to this fund, we would need to see both the issue and the ways in which people are meeting various challenges in a way that potentially tranforms the system (see Sandy's posting on systemic change), but the basic subject matter is certainly of interest.

Cara and Sandy: Thank you for your positive feedback. In terms of the questions Sandy raised, we, (the scientist/social entrepreneur and I) think a well-crafted film can empower viewers to make qualitative changes in their own lives. Beyond individual viewers, and with the right distribution model, the film can inform and motivate the larger community to demand systemic changes in our food and the health-care systems. All of this based on the latest evolutionary science and on fresh, nutritious and tasty foods that are healthful for the body and mind. Next year, our entrepreneur is going national with his healthful and tasty restaurants and his evolutionary message. He is going to directly challenge two of the titans of the food industry, an industry that often profits from exploiting some of the poorest and most vulnerable consumers in our society.

We greatly appreciate the Skoll Foundation and the Sundance Documentary Fund reaching out to social entrepreneurs and the independent film community with this initiative.

Hi Cara,

Thanks to all of you for opening this forum. It is very helpful. I have gotten another grant in addition to LPBP from the Lucius and Eva Eastman Fund to flesh out the proposal and will be re-applying with the film (and a re-focused proposal) to the Skoll Social Entrepreneur Initiative.

In working with a rural community in Mexico, my challenge has been that of maintaining on-going communication, which is difficult in an environment with little phone access and no internet service. These small grants have been very helpful as they will allow me to travel to the region and continue to follow the progress of Ranchero Solidario, a grassroots initiative led by an indomitable Catholic nun named María Dolores to counteract the failed legislation imposed by NAFTA in the Anahuác region in Mexico.

The film will now concentrate on Maria Dolores, and I am researching organizations that may come on board to replicate this cooperative model throughout the Mexican country side.

I would love to hear about other challenges that people are facing and how they are surmounting them.

Dear Sandy/Cara,

Wonderful to have a discussion on a topic that is so close to my heart. It is interesting to read about so many new initiatives taking place the world over.

It has been always believed that only the rich can develop and build enterprises. However, my experience of working with the poor, over the past decade and more has strengthened the belief that innovation can arise and be nurtured from the grassroots itself.

In these last 16 years, at IDEI, I have witnessed the development of hundreds of micro social enterprises. A small farmer who could only dream of providing food and other basic essentials to his/her family; is today able to not only earn extra income from the crops, but has also taken dealership for KB products, provides guidance to other farmers on what to grow when, has tied up with seed and fertilizer companies to provide them the best deals and of course has negotiated prices with the output market as well.

The fact that there are thousands of stories to be told, makes the life of film maker, who believes in Social change, more exciting. It is the curiosity that makes an entrepreneur look for these stories, and the creativity of the film maker converts this story into a form that is easily understood by all. Here in comes the challenge - of making a film entertaining, yet relevant!

It is known that people in India love to watch films that provide complete entertainment, which is why the Indian Film Industry (Bollywood) produces large number of films every year. Taking this thought ahead is IDEI's experience of making films that are able to provide complete entertainment & are relevant in the social context. Running into packed houses, our movies are usually showcased through the means of mobile video vans, in late evenings/nights. Based on the life of farmers whom IDEI works with, these movies follow a story telling format - including elements of drama, song & dance sequences and ofcourse carry subtle message about the technology and its impact on the life of the farmers.

As a social entrepreneur as well as a film maker, I know that there is tremendous scope to experiment & innovate while making socially relevant movies/documentaries. I also believe, and basis the the examples cited by the other members in this group, that there are many stories to be told - which provide even more opportunities for the film maker as well as the social entrepreneur... TO MOVE THE MASSES.

There is so much to say about the intersection of filmmaking and social change that i feel a bit overwhelmed just entering a page into this discussion.

For the moment, i will share with you the director's statement from my latest project, LYDIA:

In the summer of 2005 I had the opportunity to take part in a workshop organized by the Skoll Foundation and the Sundance Institute. The idea was to bring filmmakers and social entrepreneurs together in an effort to see how we could best use storytelling as a tool for social change. It was there that I met Ann Cotton.

Now, 3 years later, Ann and I are taking the lessons learned during that workshop and putting them to use. By combining our skills we are embarking on a journey to tell stories through filmmaking that will have incredible results.

I am a filmmaker, not an activist. With that said, the only work I want to do is work that will have a positive effect on society and make this world a better place.

We have an incredible chance to be able to use my abilities and combine them with Ann’s astounding success as an agent of change. By merging social activism and filmmaking, we can bring the best of both worlds together, and the potential for change is extraordinary.

It is a true gift to have this opportunity.

Ross Kauffman

As I said before, there is so much opportunity by combining the talents that filmmakers have to offer with that of these incredible "social entrepreneurs." But with that said, it is a precarious balance and both parties have to be on the same page in order to work together effectively and efficiently.

In 2007, Ann's daughter Helen contacted me about the possibility of traveling to Tanzania to do a film about the issue of "housegirls" ( rural girls being taken and coerced from their villages for a job and a better life in the big city. In the process, they many times lose all touch with their families and end up becoming virtual slaves to their "employers"). That is the short definition. Forgive me for not elaborating, but you get the picture. It is a problem happening all over the world.

Having met Ann in the Skoll/ Sundance workshop, I knew she was an incredible person and an incredibly effective agent of social change, but did I really want to work on a film with her and her daughter???

Upon meeting Helen (a documentary producer in her own right; please look for her newest film, Where the Water Meets the Sky), I told her that I am very careful about whom I get involved with when it comes to filmmaking and that IF I decided to join them in Tanzania, it would have to be "with no stings attached".

In other words, if I didn't feel the project when I was in Tanzania, I wouldn't be able to work on a film with them about this particular subject.

Helen understood perfectly and wholeheartedly agreed.

And of course, as soon as we reached the village of Iringu in Tanzania and I met a former "housegirl", I was hooked. Ideas began flooding in and that night, Ann, Helen and I started discussing possibilities and ideas for a narrative film that would speak to the people of Tanzania about this terrible situation. Their outreach plans far surpass anything that I could ever come up with on my own.

They are incredibly open to my ideas, and their enthusiasm is contagious. More importantly, CAMFED and my association with them make it that much easier to do a film about these girls. They have been working in Tanzania for a number of years and have the trust of the community. Normally it takes a filmmaker months, if not years to attain that kind of trust with one's characters/ subjects.

OK, I have to run now and get back to work. Let me know what you think.

Ross

One important point to note about moving the masses is to engage people and audiences in the first place, which is why a well-made film is so important. What you've done with Born into Brothels as director and with Project Kashmir as cinematographer is to illustrate the strong effect that good storytelling has on an audience's experience of and sympathy with a social change issue. So a takeaway here is to concentrate not only in telling your story persuasively as to the issues, but also to tell them artfully. (And Amitabha, as an aside, I think Bollywood is a great model for engaging the masses in India-- if you've seen Mira Nair's Gates-funded shorts called AIDS Jaago, you might know what I'm talking about.)

Hello, I'm Stephanie Sharis and on behalf of our team at Snagfilms, I'd like thank those of you who brought up SnagFilms as a possible distribution mechanism for the sort of "stories of change" that interest Amitabha, and as a potential means to address his concerns about the relative difficulty of distributing and screening documentary films. This is such a great discussion we couldn't help but jump in.

The guiding principle behind SnagFilms, is our founder Ted Leonsis' concept of Filmanthropy: which as one observer aptly put it, is "the intersection between filmmakers using their craft to advance social interests and philanthropists eager to leverage their gifts in new ways."

Towards that end, we've set out to accomplish several things with SnagFilms:

• Address the bottleneck in distribution for quality documentaries that has left many great films unable to reach their potential audience - Improve the financial return on making documentary films - Use viral web distribution to maximize the audience for documentary films.

For our full press release feel free to visit: http://www.snagfilms.com/press

Or to see our library of titles and watch our films visit here: http://www.snagfilms.com

Particularly germane to the discussion here, and one of the key components of our mission, are our efforts to enable audiences a way to support the causes and issues raised by the films presented on SnagFilms. As Cara noted, we've been partnering with GlobalGiving, an online marketplace for charitable giving. Part of this partnership involves GlobalGiving selecting charities that match the content or issues raised by each individual title on SnagFilms. For filmmakers who already have a built-in relationship with a charity, we customize the social action integration and link out to that selected organization. We are working hard to improve these giving mechanisms, in particular, making it easier to support these causes via the widgets that we've created for each of our films.

We'd love to hear more ofyour feedback and ideas on how we can do better. Take a look around and email us at feedback@snagfilms.com. And of course, if you're a filmmaker interested in distributing your film on SnagFilms please email us at submissions@snagfilms.com.

Thank you, Stephanie Sharis SnagFilms

Sandy and Cara

As both of you are aware, I’m the executive director of the International Social Action Film Festival, www.isaff.org, and we’re about helping social action organizations and those engaged in positive social action support and sustain their efforts through film. Our festivals will be taking place at venues around the US and the world in February 09. I’ve been following the discussion string and find it very interesting.

The notion of positive systemic change for me is more than just a new and emergent idea. To create the necessary and critical mass to make change happen requires interaction. Which means, how can we find a way to say YES to as many people as possible who want to tell their stories, instead of a competition that by its very nature has to say NO to more than we say YES to? If this is ultimately about creating systemic change, the more interactions we foster the more possibilities for positive emergence and innovation we make available, and the more likely change will take place. That is the complex system in action. I think what Skoll and Sundance have undertaken here is wonderful, important and significant. This is also why I would encourage those who might not make the final Skoll/Sundance Stories of Change cut, to find outlets like ISAFF, and do what has to be done to continue to get the word out. It’s not just the select few that further the movement, it’s the many interacting together out of which change ultimately emerges.

Ron Schultz

Many thanks to Amitabha, Martin and Ross for sharing their experiences. Each of their stories brings forward important points.

Amitabha illustrates the power of film as a tool to reach people (physically as well as emotionally) with important messages about what is possible and move them to adopt new tools that have the potential transform their lives. The IDE-India model depends on farmers' ability to visualize a better life, which can be difficult after generations of subsistence living. The films bring a new world view to life and makes the impossible seem possible.

Martin hits upon the power of film and video to capture and advance a social entrepreneur's work even if the person behind the camera doesn't have an advanced degree in film. Training staff in the basics can be a high leverage way to create compelling footage and short films with many uses down the road.

Ross's two posts capture beautifully both the opportunity and the careful balance / respect required when filmmakers and social entrepreneurs come together. Collaboration like this is a different model than most folks are used to and the partnership can take time to become fully baked. Once established, however, it has the potential to have significant impact channeling the engaging power of a story well-told into the efforts of a social entrepreneur effecting lives on the ground.

I'm so glad that you're sponsoring this conversation on the centrality of narrative to social entrepreneurship.

My question is: how do you tell stories about storytellers, so that people are moved to action?

I co-founded Friends of Justice, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization that works for democratic accountability in the criminal justice system. We generate public debate about the need for criminal justice reforms through a unique strategy that we call "narrative-based campaigns." We organize publicity for unfolding cases where vulnerable people are denied due process because of abusive prosecution and corrupt policing. We investigate these cases, craft a clear summary of the facts, and persuade the media to do hard-hitting investigative reporting. Then we organize affected communities to tell their stories, building coalitions between grassroots leadership and powerful national allies.

In our nine years, Friends of Justice has been the first-response organization in two major civil rights events: an international scandal around the Tulia drug sting, and last October's protests in Jena, Louisiana over a noose hung in the public school, an unpunished hate crime that escalated into fights between black and white youth and ended in the over-prosecution of six black high school students. So far, our work has inspired five documentaries. However, none of these documentaries has told the story of Friends of Justice--we've collaborated with documentarians, and even aided extensively in their research, but we never end up being a part of the story. This is something I want to change for two reasons. First, I'd like to raise the profile of Friends of Justice (of course!)...but second, I also think that our story is inspiring, and it can help move people to action if they know that these stories don't just happen--they require resourceful, strategic action!

The basic story of Friends is this: we formed as a multiracial movement in Tulia, Texas in 1999, after a drug sting arrested 47 people based on the false testimony of an undercover agent. My family chose to get involved because we learned that 39 of the 47 defendants were Black, and we were skeptical that our town of 5,000 people could support that many drug dealers. Friends of Justice emerged as a coalition of defendant's families and other concerned citizens who believed that the defendants were being prosecuted on faulty evidence. Our suspicions were borne out, and evidence emerged that the undercover agent had fabricated cases and probably pocketed the money to pay off old debts instead of buying drugs. After we investigated the sting and recruit media allies to tell the story, the Tulia drug sting became a national scandal. Because of the work of Friends of Justice, the Texas Legislature passed the Tulia Collaboration Bill, which has led to the exoneration of dozens of innocent people by raising the evidentiary standards for undercover testimony. Learning from our experience, Friends of Justice became a nonprofit, and started organizing with other communities across Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas. We're unusual in that we started as a genuinely multiracial movement, and we've retained our commitment to building multiracial support for equal justice in the criminal justice system, working primarily with Black leadership in poor communities across our region.

To make a long story short...how can I find a documentarian to tell our story about Friends of Justice, in a way that also tells the stories that we organize around? How do filmmakers and social entrepreneurs collaborate to tell stories about storytellers? Especially in ways that bridge the huge perception gap between white and black Americans on issues of the criminal system? One of the things that's so great about our story is that it shows that the problems of injustice in the American criminal justice system are HUGE--but that it is actually possible for people to unite across racial lines to solve them together. Telling the story of Friends of Justice is a great way to get people to talk honestly about race and injustice, but in a way that also inspires hope that a better world is possible.

Any documentarians out there who want to take on this challenge? I think that would make a huge contribution.

Hi Cara. It was good to see you at Silverdocs. There wasn't time to ask this question then, so I'll ask it now.

Is Stories of Change open to funding a project about a social entepreneur who thinks really big? Who is operating at the global MACRO level?

The Skoll Foundation website frequently urges social entepreneurs to think big. Yet the actual projects funded primarily focus on innovative projects at a micro level - getting water to villagers and so on.

The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists clock says that humanity stands only 5 minutes away from a deadly midnight caused by nuclear, radiological or biological warfare and/or by the environmental devastation of the life support systems of the planet. If we don't solve the macro-level problem, then nothing else we do will matter.

Is Stories of Change ready to consider a proposal about a social social entrepreneur who has had the gall to think really big – at the total global systems level – and to act on it?

I've produced a short and am developing a longer film about a social entepreneur who has invented a powerful human-rights tool that has freed thousands of refugees and stateless people from detention centers refugee camps and uncrossable borders.

More than a human rights tool, his invention embodies a shift to new-kind of systems thinking that holds the key to ending war and preventing the terminal effects of global warming.

I know tht sounds like a very bold claim. However, I believe that if you really took the time to delve into his story, you would not only only verify its potential to catalize a major shift in thinking, but you'd be blown away by the riveting drama of his exciting life story.

Would you like to hear more?

Hello Everyone!!

I could use all support as I am preparing to direct a new documentary about Nomadic people's point of view (My people Somalia and Djibouti). Seriously, though. I think the problem of defining Systemic Change has its roots in the Eurocentric motion, which has been going on for as long as I can remember without any solution in sight. Sadly, Western interests have taken sides in the social change and social outreach and this rubs off on their countries.

A large majority of people in African countries and many around the world, including Somalia, think African nations should be more economically prosperous than they are today. What do we believe is responsible for African nations' lack of prosperity?

We have learned in Africa that if a country is poor, it's because of the political and economic systems it chooses. If social change movement adopt this kind of projects and introduce free documentary with social economic skills, which to this day remains the best system of marketing and empowerment because it encourages transparency and accountability and guarantees and protects human rights and the rule of law, and if we get promotion through the stories of change, we will overcome poverty. Of course, there are other questions about international development and trade policies, but these issues are residual.

Let me hope that someone from Sundance ready to look beyond traditional social circles in western countries, we (Tools for Humanity) would like to share our nomadic experiences with others.

Mohamed Maie Edmonton, AB (Canada)

Ron, you make a great point about the complex nature of change and the importance of getting more stories out, whether through ISAFF or elsewhere. Distribution and mindshare are huge challenges. Does anyone have thoughts on additional channels and strategies we should all be aware of?

Arthur, you also emphasized the importance of aggregating our efforts for maximum impact. You're right, we need to make sure we tackle the big issues like climate change and nuclear proliferation. We also need to create broad awareness of the global movement of social entrepreneurs and its potential to address the critical challenges of our time. Thanks for jumping into the mix!

Thanks everyone for your thoughtful comments today!

Sandy, you asked about additional channels and strategies for distribution. I had a chance while I was in DC for Silverdocs to sit down with two extraordinary gentlemen who are opening up a brand new channel for documentary film distribution – AOL Vice Chairman Emeritus Ted Leonsis and former National Geographic and Discovery Communications executive Rick Allen – who were both at Silverdocs promoting their amazing new film “Kicking It” about the Homeless World Cup.

Ted Leonsis, who developed AOL’s True Stories, talked passionately about the amazing quantity and quality of great documentaries out their, and the tiny bottleneck of distribution channels. In response he has founded a new company that has just launched today. SnagFilms is a major new web distribution channel with more than 250 films available for immediate streamed playback.

“There has never been a time when so many high-quality socially relevant documentary films have been made, yet even though tens of thousands of documentaries are submitted to film festivals every year, only a handful find theatrical distribution.” Leonsis said upon launching the company. “SnagFilms was created so that anyone who has a website, publishes a blog, or participates in a social network can open an online multiplex theater,”

“The power of a single film to change the world is immense – but only if people get to see the film,” said SnagFilms CEO Rick Allen. “Now they can – not only viewing for free, but sharing with friends, supporting filmmakers, and helping to get things done. These award-winning films now are badges of personal belief, tools of social change, common bonds of community … and a great way to spend a lunch break or evening.”

So check out www.snagfilms.com!

Thanks to Cara, Sandy, Rahdi and Jill for this fantastic forum-- I've gained so much out of it.

A quick thought about SnagFilms and online distribution in relation to cause outreach/filmanthropy: SnagFilms is likely to be a great addition to the (admittedly rough) documentary distribution landscape. I think most doc filmmakers will enjoy the exposure, having a niche distribution vehicle and the technology to have your film streamed from a variety of sources. (I don't know the business model enough to know the financial model, but I assume exposure is a great thing nonetheless?)

From the perspective of a nonprofit, social entrepreneur or activist, there is a distinction between marketing for a film and marketing for a cause. What I've found from consulting primarily on the nonprofit/cause side of the fence is that filmmakers, distributors, marketers, etc., don't always pay enough attention to marketing/outreach on cause. Outreach for film and for cause are related but different-- and should involve different strategies for information dissemination and audience engagement. SnagFilms will provide more access and exposure for documentaries, and it will be one more good, central place to make the direct link between a film and its cause(s). It provides one more avenue for outreach and while, honestly, any bit helps, the cause outreach tie-in to a film streaming from the SnagFilms site will be easier and richer when SnagFilms strenghtens its social messaging component. At the time of its launch, what I've seen on SnagFilm's website is a GlobalGiving field with a "donate now" button for a somewhat related nonprofit, which is helpful and valuable, but is not a fully developed outreach vehicle. SnagFilms is currently a good addition to a strategic plan for traditional methods of cause outreach using a film-- but it's the responsibility of the social entrepreneur/activist to make sure the cause is marketed and awareness-raising is tied to a film (which is true for any distribution vehicle).

Lina, thanks very much for all your thoughtful comments and observations throughout this discussion. You make an important point here about the distinction between marketing for a film and marketing for a cause. In an ideal world, planning for outreach and impact on a cause would be fully embedded in a film project from day one, channeling the power of film to reach strategic audiences in a position to take meaningful action. It's a complex equation but ultimately far more powerful than trying to retrofit a cause to a film after it's complete. I'm not familiar with the details of SnagFilms' model and am grateful that they are taking steps to address the challenges of distribution and impact. If a more integrated project planning approach was the norm, vehicles like SnagFilms could be a powerful mechanism for achieving strategic objectives. Can anyone share their experience(s) integrating outreach and impact marketing into their film efforts and especially any tips regarding what has worked well?

I'm Georgia Gillette, with College Summit--a national nonprofit that provides high schools with a scalable strategy to increase the college enrollment rate of all their students. In the past ten years, we've supported 35,000 low-income students in their journey from high school to college. We would like to collaborate with any filmmakers who are particularly interested in telling our students' stories through film.

We're open to ideas, please visit this recent PBS NOW segment to get a sense of who we are and what we've done. http://www.pbs.org/now/enterprisingideas/College-Summit.html Please respond directly to me at ggillette (at) collegesummit.org

Thanks Georgia, Mohamed and others looking to meet and collaborate with documentary film directors. Below are links to a few of the top documentary film organizations in the US, as well as film festival guides, awards, and PBS broadcast strands.

Based on your demographics, geographics, or content area, consider searching for films that are similar to the one you would like to tell. Filmmakers looking to collaborate on new projects with Social Entrepreneurs, please join in!

Sundance Institute http://www.sundance.org/press.html Sundance Film Festival http://www.sundance.org/festival/ The D-Word http://www.d-word.com/ Doculink http://www.doculink.org/ The Independent http://www.aivf.org/ Indiewire http://www.indiewire.com/ Int. Documentary Association http://www.documentary.org/ Human Rights Watch Film Fest http://www.hrw.org/iff/ Tribeca Film Festival http://www.tribecafilmfestival.org/ Full Frame Film Fest. http://www.fullframefest.org/ SilverDocs Festival http://silverdocs.com/festival/films/2008/ Academy Awards http://www.oscars.org/awardsdatabase/index.html Emmy Awards http://cdn.emmys.tv/awards/awardsearch.php Peabody Awards http://www.peabody.uga.edu/winners/search.php Independent Lens (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/bios.html P.O.V. (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/pov/ CAAM (PBS) http://publicbroadcast.asianamericanmedia.org/ http://asianamericanmedia.org/blog/category/in-theatres/ Latino Public Broadcasting (PBS) http://www.lpbp.org/ Nat. Black Programming Consortium (PBS) http://www.nbpc.tv/ Native American Public Telecom (PBS) http://www.nativetelecom.org/ Pacific Islanders in Communications (PBS) http://www.piccom.org/ California Newsreel http://www.newsreel.org/main.asp Bullfrog Films http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/ Documentary Educational Resources http://www.der.org/ Women Make Movies http://www.wmm.com/ Women In Film http://www.wif.org/ Women in Film and TV NY http://www.nywift.org/ Frameline (LGBT) http://www.frameline.org/index.aspx Latino Media Resource Guide http://lmrg.nalip.org/ Film Arts Foundation www.filmarts.org Sundance Channel http://www.sundancechannel.com/schedule

Rahdi - Thanks for the great list. I have added these links to the online marketing cheat sheet resources under how do you find a filmmaker so for those of you who prefer a clickable list, go to socialedge.org/features/issue-areas/online_marketing

I also added a couple of resources including IFC which is currently running a cash prize contest for 3 minute non-fiction documentary short films in English or with English subtitles (and by US residents) - Deadline August 3rd, 2008. http://www.ifc.com/backtobasics

and DFGDocs The British Documentary Website dfgdocs.com Does anyone know of other film resources in other parts of the world?

Thanks Rahdi and Jill,

Thank you Jill for joining ArtTribesNetwork.com

We are in the process of compiling a list of websites and organizations, which have been posted on members profiles on Art Tribes as they sign in. I will post the link to the wikki on here when it is ready for publishing. In the meantime I invite others to peruse profiles on Art Tribes and form a group to this end. We are still in Beta an it is exciting to see all this activity and be able to contribute to this great initiative.

I also wanted to point out WiserEarth.org, which has an extensive, world-wide mapping tool, searchable by key words and issues, which allows individuals to find organizations in their vicinity and vice-versa.

I hope this helps.

Juan Carlos Zaldivar

Sandy, I enjoyed hearing your panel discussion at Silverdocs You mentioned that Social entrepreneurs with great ideas often fail because those who could help them to succeed are unaware and/or unengaged. How true! What you said about building a global movement of social entrepreneurs is so important. We need to harness the work of all the different social entrepreneurs and meld their impact into structural change at a global level that can actually empower the people of the planet to slow, stop and reverse the dangerous course we are on. The Skoll funded movie An Inconvenient Truth did a great job of showing the perils we face. The challenge now is to come up with solutions big enough to fit the magnitude of the problem

and a movie to inject those solutions into the popular culture.

I will soon be embarking on a personal, cultural and artistic artist exchange between a community of Xhosa artists in the Eastern Cape in SOuth africa and a group of Basarwa (San) artists in Botswana. There is a possibility of a Native AMerican participant in this exchange as well. The focus will be on the artists doing a cultural exchange with the communities that they will be visiting to present their culture, tradition and work to the host community. The artists will then do workshops together. After this exchange they will work on an exhibition which will showcase at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown, SOuth Africa and will then tour to different centres in SOuthern Africa and the USA. If there is anyone interested in more information on this with a view to filming I would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further Eugenie Drakes

I’m so enjoying everyone’s posts and the many creative projects people are working on. It’s so important that these stories get told. My cousin and I wrote up “The Endangered Stories Act,” an act of the people, not of Congress. By signing on, people pledge to pass on and preserve the vital, life-affirming stories so necessary for evolving our culture.

Contained in the word “endangered” are the words “end angered.” At the same time as we preserve the vital stories, we need to drop the angered stories that are the foundation of so many wars. So often the angry stories of what “they” did to our ancestors or to babies or whatever are used to stir up hatreds, often by political forces that fabricate or stage incidents to create stories that are used to whip up the sentiment for war. We need to end those and promote and preserve the inspiring stories that help guide our course

Mythological interpreter Joseph Campbell studied cultures from ancient tribal clans to modern industrial nations, and found that the societal behavior of each culture is determined primarily by its underlying mythology. (See my article at www.e-arth.com) The way we respond to a given situation often has more to do with our myths and stories than with day-to-day reality.

Plato said: “Whoever tells the stories shapes society.” If we want to change the behavior of our society, we can’t just argue facts and figures. We have to change the story. We have to change the mythology. And today that means creating new stories on TV and in movies, the most visceral storytellers of our times.

That’s why I’m so excited about Stories for Change. There are so many movies out there showing the vast problems we face. But very few showing solutions. Rather than more cautionary tales, what the world needs now is visionary tales. And that’s exactly what you are fostering!

Joseph Campbell had so many great quotes, but the one I really like is:'One way or another we all have to find what best fosters the flowering of our humanity in this contempory life, and dedicate ourselves to that." For the last couple of years I've been working on stories for a 24 book language learning series for Room to Read libraries. They're about a week or two away from going on Amazon.com (I'm just waiting to proof.) My approach to storytelling and social change is to engage the public by emotionally and collectively seeking the universal truths we all share. I'm hoping this will work in asking the general public to buy picture books for children in developing countries.Is there other ways to sell a project like this to people?

Hi All,

In addition to the FAQ and application guidelines to be found on sundance.org/skoll, we wanted to provide more information about the types of films and proposals that might be most competitive. As filmmakers and Social Entrepreneurs team up, these elements will become more intuitive for collaborators.

The Request for Proposals is for films that are about social entrepreneurship including the work of a specific social entrepreneur. Rather than a visual report of the entrepreneur's biography and past successes, the most competitive films will ideally allow viewers to learn about the social entrepreneur in an intimate and authentic way, to learn with candor about the challenges and obstacles facing his or her vision, and to follow first hand as they attempt to achieve their mission.

Proposals for documentary films are evaluated on effective storytelling, broad relevance and resonance, originality, artist vision and potential for social engagement. Generally speaking, Sundance Institute's Documentary Film Program is synonymous with films that are artist driven with superlative storytelling. Filmmaker's with demonstrated experience completing cinematic nonfiction films working in collaboration with leading social entrepreneurs will likely be most competitive. Proposals must be filmmaker driven.

Eligibility Summary: •Feature Length (60+) •Independent (filmmaker retains editorial control-- no commissioned content) •New film or work in progress (films at completion or an online are NOT eligible) •Artist Driven (Filmmakers with aesthetic and narrative vision, experience and commitment)

Desirability Summary: •Cinematic (artful use of film language, as opposed to studio or location interviews) •Effective Storytelling (clear beginning, middle and end to character or community journey) •Originality (under-told story or under-explored thesis, unique approach to the material, etc.) •Compelling (engaging characters handled with intimacy, candor, humanity, humor, courage) •Urgent (high stakes mission for broad constituents, timeliness but not "current affairs") •Global Relevance and Resonance (outcomes matter concretely to more people, communities and countries than are seen onscreen)

Hi Sandy, Cara and Rahdi,

I’ve been trying to figure out how to post to the discussion on Stories of Change but can seem to find the add comment button. I’m on a Mac and not sure if there is some sort of incompatibility with my browser. But here is what I wanted to post. I hope you can help me out with my questions and I apologize for the long-winded post.

I’m very excited about the opportunity to submit a proposal to Stories of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Focus through Documentary. My passion is telling stories about people who are making a difference in our world, especially those involved in the Latino community in the US and worldwide. I’ve never applied for anything like this before, so I have a lot of questions. Please bear with me on this long post.

I just recently completed a short documentary about BAWSI (pronounced “bossy”), Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative, a non-profit which mobilizes local women athletes to inspire 3rd-5th grade low income Latina girls and their moms, who are at risk of obesity and diabetes, to transform their lives towards better health and self esteem. Co-founded by soccer star Brandi Chastain and Marlene Bjornsrud,former general manager of the San Jose CyberRays women's professional soccer team, BAWSI is a free after school fitness and motivation program. The documentary takes you to the playing field where the young girls and their mothers are having fun working out alongside Chastain and the athletes that volunteer their time to coach, mentor and serve as role models for a healthy lifestyle. The film captures the power & joy of being BAWSI, the results of transformation, and the dedication of women to communities

First question: I would like to submit a full feature documentary of BAWSI to Stories of Change and expand more on how the BAWSI program is transforming the girls, moms, athletes, schools, and community overall and the potential the program has to be implemented in any under-served community. Is this a story that would fit in the definition of Social Entrepreneurship?

Second question: Megan had asked questions on Distribution and Marketing and I saw that Rahdi responded with very helpful detailed information. My question is, when creating the Distribution and Marketing strategies, does what ever we include as part of our plan, have to be definite and set in stone? Are you just looking for some viable ideas? One thing that I am finding is that there are several online strategies one can use but then there are conflicts with film festivals or TV broadcast on whether or not you are submitting a first run of the documentary. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on how to handle that, I would greatly appreciate it:)

Third question: As per budget, if I own some of the production equipment already, does it still get listed as a cost on the budget? Does anyone have a break down on salaries for the above the line team? I have usually done most of the production on my own.

Fourth question: Finally, does the principal team need to stay the same or can that change too? Also, is there a minimum experience level that your are requiring or looking for on the creative team? I know a lot of young talent but they don’t have the years of experience that I do, but I feel that they can strongly contribute.

That’s it! Again I apologize for such a long post and I really appreciate everyone’s time and advice.

1. S. I am available to collaborate on documentaries. Feel free to contact me at: marisa@lastkid.com.

Thanks,

Marisa

Hi Marissa,

We're glad you were able to join the discussion! Likely others have similar questions.

BAWSI sounds like an inspiring group doing important work, although I'm not sure whether the exercise program is entrepreneurship. It certainly is a needed social activity so congratulations on your work with them.

Your Distribution and Marketing plan, as well as your Key Creative Team can certainly change and adapt. Reviewers will be looking for a viable plan that can be implemented but understand that things change. Creative personnel (cinematographer, sound recordist, editor, producer) would ideally be experienced professionals. Logical exceptions would include interns and assistants (research assistant, location assistant, production assistant, etc.)

For your budget, it would be wise to include traditional costs associated with salaries and equipment as line item expenses. You can later indicate that resources have been raised through in-kind support and producer investment. This link is to a sample budget that makes room for in-kind costs. http://www.austinfilm.org/files/Sample%20Budget%20-%20Documentary_0.pdf

Marisa, thanks for your perseverance! On your question regarding whether BAWSI fits the definition of social entrepreneurship, I would reflect it back to you. If BAWSI sees its program as an innovation that has the potential to scale to address major societal challenges and it is run by a person or people who are driven to achieve this big vision, the content certainly fits. That said, sports as an innovation is sometimes seen as a stretch when it comes to social entrepreneurship. Some see it fitting squarely while others see it as an activity with strong societal benefits but not as an innovation. With our Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship, we look to the entrepreneur during the application process to make the best case about whether he or she fits the definition. We generally do not opine in advance because we have too little information. This experience leads me to suggest that you (and others with similar questions about their fit) go for it and make the best case you can regarding the innovation and the systemic impact your subject seeks to have. You really are the most knowledgeable judge at this point.

Thanks Sandy and Rahdi for your thoughts, you both make some interesting points to consider. I'll process this a bit more. I'm enjoying reading all the posts and learning more about defining Social Entrepreneurship and giving it a voice through film.

Thanks again for your feedback and prompt replies,

Marisa

so i finally was able to get the post up:)

It's be really helpful to hear tips from social entrepreneurs with experience in this area about things to consider when working with a filmmaker to have your story told.

For example: How much control did you have over the story and how the film is used after it's made? Who in your organization worked most closely with the filmmaker and how much of a time commitment was it? What problems might arise in the process of collaboration and what suggestions do you have for avoiding/resolving them?

Thanks!

I'm a filmmaker AND trying to think of how to carve some social entrepreneurship out of my vision. I've been focusing more on the latter, but the two worlds - documentary filmmaking and activism - ARE naturally connected. I've found it difficult to both lead an organization and document its journey, though I actually do try. This connection on the part of Sundance and Social Edge is pure genius and a relief for those trying to achieve something and desiring to achieve widespread awareness at the same time.

It is so very interesting to witness this discussion and get to know of so many people, world over who have been collecting/making stories of change.

Sandy: I will try to respond to the very important question raised here - "channeling the power of film to reach strategic audiences in a position to take meaningful action" -

One of the major hurdles that I have faced- is the availability of these films. Most of the times, it is through forum like this (have come to know of several new films here), or discussions, or interactions with the producer that one hears of the new films being made on "stories of change". These are usually available at select locations, or only with the producers. This restricts my access to the "treasure" of social change films and therefore the ability to take it to other audience. If the Skoll Foundation can take lead, and create a resource list of films on stories of change, it would become so much easier, to then take the next step - finding the audience.

There are several forums - industry/commerce/economics - where people, who can take meaningful action, come together. Citing India example, we have bodies such as the the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI). All industrial houses, manufacturing units, commercial houses etc are a part of one or both of these forum. Their annual meetings, strategic planning meetings and such are a wonderful opportunity to showcase these films. It would therefore be ideal to organise a "Discussion on Social Change, through Films" round table, during these meetings, which would of course bring some results. In India, IDEI would be happy to take the lead, and organise such "round table", and thereby take social enterprenuership to the next level- reaching larger audience, who can make decisions.

Globally, we have the World Economic Forum (and several other such forum), which are ideal opportunities to reach this audience.

The discussion continues to be an important source of sharing & learning, and of course doing more, as social entrepreneurs... I thank & congratualte the team at Skoll (Sandy, Cara and others) for making such interaction possible.

I agree - it is incredibly inspiring to hear from so many social entrepreneurs and filmmakers with powerful stories to tell. The larger challenge is how to get this content in front of people in a position to do something to address the issues. I really like your idea of aggregating content and thinking strategically about integrating that content into existing forums in key geographies. Let's discuss this further!

Hi to everyone. I am a documentary film maker based in London. I have a production company called Katalyst Productions and our sole aim is to make films that matter and have a social impact. We are currently making a documentary called Addicted in Afghanistan highlighting the problems of addiction amongst women and children in Kabul. We are planning to implement a social outreach plan- but it is still in it's infancy, so looking forward to picking up tips here! I am particularly committed to making films with about social entrepreneurs and their endeavours. If anyone has any projects they'd like me to take a look at, please do get in touch. Thanks, Sharron.

Documentary Film in Progress: "Sky Has a Heart" I am a writer and producer, www.eternatv.com , working with Native tribes in Alaska and Indian Country, to use documentary filmmaking as a tool for suicide prevention. Our film, "Sky Has a Heart" has become a "container for grief" that holds, honors, and transforms the powerful lamentation about numerous suicide victims in the indigenous world. In a carefully prepared talking circle, we invite the surviving family and friends to express their grief as a way to begin their own individual as well as collective healing of massive loss. While speaking about the suicide epidemic among indigenous peoples is a complex and long-held taboo, we are finding new ways to create a sensitive dialogue between traditional medicine people and grief therapists in the field. These cameo stories are told from a uniquely tribal perspective, offering a message of healing, tribal identity, self-esteem, and prevention. I believe that documentary film is the most honest, therapeutic mirror of all as it offers meaning, magnification, and soul to those who have the courage to share their sorrow and, sometimes, acceptance. We believe that witnessed grief-honoring will ultimately help weave a thread for making healthier communities. Would love to hear any and all comments and ideas. Would also appreciate connecting with Native and Indian student writers and filmmakers. Please feel free to contact me. Many Thanks, Sally Henderson, Writer-Producer Atlanta, GA USA

Cheryl, Sharron and Sally - thanks very much for sharing your stories, challenges and interests. This discussion has turned out to be a great way for folks to learn about each other's work and find potential points of collaboration. I hope more people will follow in your footsteps and post as well.

I also want to encourage social entrepreneurs who have experience working with filmmakers to reply to Sara's post. Unlike commissioning a film where social entrepreneurs can dictate the direction it takes (or at least try), this type of collaboration is more art than science and requires a strong common vision, shared values and a deep level of trust. It's a different way of approaching a film project for both parties. Ross did a really nice job of outlining both the tremendous opportunity and the delicate balancing act that is required. The more light we can shed on these dynamics, the better!

Dear Skoll Community,

I am looking for an interested filmmaker to work with Health Care Without Harm (a Skoll grantee) and I on a potential documentary about the movement toward ecological healthcare in the 21st century. I am hoping in the film to link my work with HCWH and my work with the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal, India, which provides free care to the survivors of the Union Carbide chemical disaster twenty four years ago. Below are some bullet points that frame out the protagonists in the story:

Health Care Without Harm (www.noharm.org)

• reframing of the Hippocratic Oath in an age of global triage (climate crisis; toxification of the planet and links to an array of diseases that impact all our families)
• educating the healthcare sector that it is increasingly impossible to support healthy people on a sick planet.
• affirming the fundamental human right to be born toxic free
• affirming the fundamental human right of mothers to breastfeed their children while protecting the safety of nature's purest food
• highlighting the moral imperative to protect the climate as a global public health intervention
• working with the healthcare sector to understand these new environmental realities and to become a force for the broader healing that needs to occur
• partnerships with the World Health Organization, United Nations Environment Programme, Global Environmental Facility, US EPA, governments around the world, nursing and physician organizations, and major hospital systems in the U.S. and Europe to make medicine more sustainable and safe
• transforming the way healthcare designs and builds its facilities, how it operates them and what healthcare systems buy (energy, chemicals, food, electronics, cleaners, equipment, devices, etc,)

Bhopal Sambhavna Clinic (www.bhopal.org)

• Bhopal is the Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry, the heart of chemical wounding
• Bhopal is one of the epic environmental human rights struggles on the planet today
• December, 2009 is the 25th anniversary of the Bhopal chemical disaster
• the clinic, which offers a combination of Ayurvedic, Alopathic and yoga therapies, has provided free medical care to over 15,000 survivors in the last decade
• the clinic stands as testimony to hope and healing amid corporate negligence, government ineptitude and toxic poisoning
• the clinic is designed with sustainable building principles, has solar panels, passive cooling, and a one acre Ayurvedic garden that grows and produces the medicines to specifically address the health conditions of the Bhopal survivors.

About Me - Gary Cohen

• I helped found and continue to be the Executive Director of HCWH for the last twelve years
• I have been one of the key people outside of India to keep the memory and advocacy alive around the Bhopal disaster
• I serve on the International Advisory Board of the Bhopal clinic and have been involved since its inception.
• I have been one of the most vocal advocates for linking environmental health issues with human rights issues.
• I have been a leading architect in building a global movement around chemicals and health and have been instrumental in launching a number of campaigns and coalitions involving more than 700 organizations in 80 countries (Coming Clean; International POPs Elimination Project; Environmental Health Fund; Investor Environmental Health Network; Health and Environmental Funders Network; etc)

I hope this helps us in our discussion about the documentary film project and a possible fit. Let me know if you are interested in partnership opportunities.

Gary Cohen

Health Care Without Harm

617-524-6018

gcohen AT igc DOT org

As a documentary filmmaker, I am delighted to discover this forum thanks to the Sundance Documentary Film Program and the Skoll Foundation's Stories of Change Fund. I can only sigh with envy and wish this funding opportunity had been available in 2005 and 2006 when I was in the middle of filming and producing my own documentary, "To Touch the Soul," about a social entrepreneur and college art education professor, Carlos Silveira, who took 27 students to Cambodia to create art project with children with HIV/AIDS. We're now in the film festivals, having won 8 awards, and pursuing distribution. You can visit www.totouchthesoul.com if you're interested. The experience of being in Cambodia and filming our story was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life--to see change (or at least the beginning of it) in process. I am seeking other documentary projects to produce through my company that can open the world's eyes to possibilities that exist in all of us to promote or act upon positive change.

Meanwhile, I am serving as an advisor and helping my director and another producer raise money to film a documentary about a social entrepreneur who works in Ethiopia, so, naturally, we will be applying for the Stories of Change Fund.

Hope to hear from some of you. Teresa Hagen Producer Cut Loose Productions

Hello, I just noticed in our Offers and Requests section on Social Edge, we have a teacher seeking a Filmmaker and "planning to produce a documentary film about sustainability and social entrepreneurship" and based in Southern California. If you can help out, let Paul know: http://www.socialedge.org/features/offers-and-requests/requests/749885498

Also an interesting Modern Storytelling Fellowship in India posted in the Opportunities section: "a grassroots initiative that implements a self-designed digital storytelling curriculum and multimedia skill set in two governmental schools in Andhra Pradesh, India": http://www.socialedge.org/features/opportunities/archive/2008/07/25/the-modern-story-fellow

Cheers, Jill

Hi Everyone, It's a pleasure to read everyone's postings. There are lots of great organizations and inspiring social activists doing important work that deserves wide support. But that doesn’t mean a broad audience would want to watch a whole film about them. Here are a couple of directions I'd like to see this conversation going:

• Filmmakers: How do we grapple with the challenges of making films on these topics that appeal to broad audiences? What about the relationship with the protagonists? Clearly we want to celebrate their work, but we have to tell a good story. This could mean including things the NGOs would rather stayed out of the film.

• Funders: obviously cold cash is the best way to support our work. But what about other support, which you are better positioned to leverage than an indie with a one-off film and bare-bones admin support? For example, partnering and negotiating for distribution streams for the best of your funded films... Another xample: many films on social change would benefit from some star power, a Hollywood personality presenting the film or doing the voice over. You (Skoll, Sundance) may be in a better position (located in L.S. is already an advantage) to facilitate this by getting the attention of agents and managers to certain projects, than the filmmakers themselves. Anyone wants to jump in? Micha

Hi Micha,

Thanks for your conversation. It would be great to hear from filmmakers and Social Entrepreneurs who have collaborated in the past about some of the questions you raise. And it would be wonderful to hear thoughts from Social Entrepreneurs about allowing filmmakers "behind the scenes"!

More, your point about storytelling is well taken.

Rather than a pretty profile of the entrepreneur's biography and past successes, what we're really hoping to see (as mentioned above) are films that ideally allow viewers to learn about the social entrepreneur in a more intimate and authentic way, to learn with candor about the challenges and obstacles facing his or her vision, and to follow first hand as they attempt to achieve their mission. In other words, not merely pictures of perfect heroes, but perhaps a more complex picture of an ordinary human being on an extraordinary journey. Would anyone read The Odyssey if Odysseus were perfect?

Films funded will receive Sundance creative and editorial support, which includes some opportunities for professional and social networking. The films are independent and not industry driven, and each film is specific. Sundance is not a co-producer of the film, and we can't necessarily connect filmmakers with Julia Roberts but we do try to support our grantees wherever we can with distribution, promotion and networking.

I am an anthropologist and film maker. I wish to make a documentary about a new system of birthing which drastically reduces the stress and pain of labour even in a hospital setting. Details are on raynergarner.com. The aim is to eliminate the use of anaestheia during labour except for those conditions which require it. It has been discovered that anaesthesia at birth may imprint the new born to seeking out drugs when they enter adolecence. In many cases the fight or flight reaction produces such excessive pain and stress that no one would suggest that mothers to be should have to suffer without the help of drugs.

This may explain why drug use in Western countries is rising, while in Bali for instance the demand for drugs is minimal owing to the fact that anaesthesia during labour is rarely given. Anyone who is intersted in contributing expertise, funds or advice is welcome to get in touch. Rayner

Hi,

I really love this site and what you all are doing here.

I am a Brooklyn-based filmmaker who, for the past five or so years, has walked in two creative worlds - one is the spoken word/hip hop youth community and the other is my documentary work with UN and international agencies which has taken me throughout the African continent and now to other regions. (You can check out my work by visiting our site: www.governessfilms.com.)

I'm very much interested in submitting a proposal for the Sundance/Skoll Foundation's initiative with a focus on profiling entrepreneuers who utilize hip hop/spoken word for social change, particularly as it relates on a global level. I have a good friend who has a produced a show on MTV Ca/Nat Geo that does exactly this but am wondering if there are folks on this site who know of other such individuals or who know of resources that I can tap into to find a few more potential folks to follow.

Thanks so much - look forward to your comments.

Lisa

Lisa Russell Producer/Director GOVERNESS FILMS www.governessfilms.com

With so much of talent and interest visible during this discussion, we at IDEI are keen to get inputs on our short films - which capture the essence of "stories of change".

We have, over the past year developed short films- (two minutes and five minutes version) of farmer case studies that showcase the success/change/benefit/impact of the IDEI technologies.

It would be wonderful if, interested producerss, in this group could review these films and help us in improving/planning/editing for the next series of the short films.

I would be delighted to hear more from you at Amitabha@ide-india.org, to take this discussion ahead.

Do hope that socialedge shall continue to engage social entrepreneurs through more such discussions.

Hi all. Sorry I came to this very engaging discussion a bit late... GREAT dialogue about the nature of film/art and system change/social entrepreneurship. I believe that art and artists are vital for the great upward spiral of change that is so obviously happening around our planet... for the infusion of creativity, new visions, experimentation, beauty, etc. While not all artists are social entrepreneurs, I feel the work of artists can fuel (and have fueled) social transformation. So I'm intensely involved in developing new avenues for artists to received financial (and other) support from pools of "patrons" so that art and creativity can grow into a powerful force for change. Good luck to all you filmmakers and social entrepreneurs out there - I really look forward to seeing what comes out the Skoll/Sundance partnership!

My partner and I are preparing a proposal for the "Stories of Change" award and have a few questions.

We've partnered with Transfair USA on a project that will tell the story of fair trade through the lens of Paul Rice (founder of Transfair). Since the global fair trade story is so expansive and there are so many supporting characters (flowers in Columbia, tea in Thailand, wine in South Africa, coffee in Nicaragua), we're struggling to balance breadth with depth. Would it be more in line with the Stories of Change objectives to see Paul Rice struggle to certify ONE product (for example diamonds--a story that is happening now) and go into depth with affiliated characters/issues OR is it more effective to highlight his involvement with two or three fair trade products (possibly at different stages of certification) and affiliated characters?

Thanks for any insight you can offer,

Greetings. This is a very helpful dialogue. I am currently co-producing a film on a record producer of American roots music. When he began, he recorded music he loved, with the intention of sharing his excitement with others. He wasn't intentionally out to make "social change" but the impact of his work has been extensive and international. He did grow into a more conscious social entrepreneurship when he began to realize the impact he could have. Not only has he helped individual musicians' careers, he has helped many roots musicians expand their appreciation of their own cultural traditions, as well as those of their audiences. He has brought vast new audiences to American roots music. He has been modestly successful financially over the years, but he has always been motivated by what moves him and how he can help support these vital American musical traditions. He has never compromised on this. The story is a contemporary story, but acknowledging and referencing his early days, as well. I am wondering if he qualifies under the definition of social entrepreneur. Thank you very much. Maureen Gosling

Thank you for sharing your thoughts everyone.

Maureen, David, Amitabha and Lisa wonder whether hip hop and spoken word, child birth methods, and recording music can be examples of social entrepreneurship. And, they join others in inviting filmmakers to partner around their projects. Filmmakers please chime in! The Skoll Foundation experts might have a more evaluative matrix, but the answer probably depends on the methods used to address the social problem (entrepreneurial) and whether social enterprise is developed as a result. As well, I believe there is interest in sustainability and replicability of the solution proposed.

Kmalt advises us that "he's interested in developing support from pools of "patrons" so that art and creativity can grow into a powerful force for change." I'm sure we'd all love to hear more!

Cortney asks a question about storytelling. Of course there is no right answer to your question and the direction is best left to the artist. In general it might create more power, intimacy, and drama to go deeper with one aspect than broader with several campaigns, but again it will depend on your vision.

Rather than a visual report of the entrepreneur's biography and past successes, the most competitive films will ideally allow viewers to learn about the social entrepreneur in an intimate and authentic way, to learn with candor about the challenges and obstacles facing his or her vision, and to follow first hand as they attempt to achieve their mission.

Hello,

I am happy to have found an active discussion that is relevant to my own aspirations. I am looking at this from the perspective of someone who feels compelled to explore and facilitate the possibilities and effects of raising the visibility of social enterprise and voluntary action among our youth.

My interest is not only on the effects on society in terms of marketing their causes but, moreover, on the participants themselves as well as their local communities. Storytelling allows the individual to relate more personally with their experiences as well as allowing their audience to do the same.

Am I delusional to believe that we might present at least the first of the opening questions to the youth themselves? (Who is a social entrepreneur and what makes their stories compelling?) And, by youth, I am actually referring to 3rd, 4th 5th graders through college.

Patricia

Who is a social entrepreneur, I would say it is an entrepreneur concerned with operating their business in a life giving manner, their venture can be for profit or nonprofit. Perhaps the most compelling aspect of approaching social enterprise with a frame of mind of being life giving is that is exactly what we need to move towards a livable planet.

The most challenging aspect of working with this assumption is engaging the collective imagination of your community. By stimulating the collective imagination one hopes to develop sufficient community will to move towards creating what we have imagined. Good stories are essential to stimulating the collective imagination! What works to get the collective imagination going? Simple, Unexpected, Concrete, Credible, Emotional, Stories.

Dear Sandy and Cara, (and Hello to Ross Kaufman - we know each other through Geralyn D),

I've really enjoyed reading all the posts on this forum. I've also read through the press release, FAQs, guidelines, and every possible link provided on the Sundance and Skoll sites about this new initiative "Stories of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Focus through Documentary." I've even watched the Skoll site's short films concerning social entrepreneurs.

I'm very excited to be applying to the fund this year whose August 15th deadline is looming. Without giving away too much about my project, I will say that I've been traveling to China and spent several years living in Beijing over the last 17 years, and am fully fluent in Mandarin Chinese so that when I filmed there last October on a preliminary trip hoping to realize a documentary idea I'd been developing I came away with much more than expected.

I came away with a story about a social entrepreneur I've known since 2002. I captured him in the middle of his process. I also captured the beginnings of the world he works in, showing why the population he's serving was previously highly under-served and how his work has created systemic change in Chinese society and the U.S-China relationship, a new balance in the social equilibrium where opportunities that previously didn't exist are now a matter of everyday life so that perspectives both within China and from abroad have shifted in a positive direction.

What I describe above which comes from my reading of the Stanford Business School definition of a social entrepreneur is the guiding principle and organizing structure for my 27 minute trailer for the film.

That said, I've been showing the trailer to close friends, family and trusted colleagues and they don't necessarily get it because most of them have never heard of the term, "social entrepreneur". Even after I describe it for them in preface to the film, and tell them the principle behind the structure, they feel it could be spelled out more clearly in the trailer with title cards.

The difference between my friends and family watching the trailer and giving feedback and your committee watching it and responding is that your committee knows what the definition of a social entrepreneur is, and you will have my proposal in front of you describing the film's structure and future direction.

Nevertheless, I imagine the trailer should stand on its own as a tool for understanding the larger film whether you know what a social entrepreneur is or have read my proposal or not. While my editor and I think it does - that could be because we've been immersed in your literature on the subject from the beginning.

I'm open to putting 3 simple title cards in the trailer which guide the audience to understanding: part 1) the previously under-served population and why they're under-served part 2) the work of the social entrepreneur and how its making a difference part 3) evidence of how the work of the social entrepreneur has made a difference and changed the social equilibrium for good

However, I know my editor feels strongly that the work speaks for itself. That this argument is clear and the piece has a strong aesthetic and visual style which would be compromised by title cards I don't plan to use in the finished film.

We're hoping to finalize the edit and make DVDs tonight after 5 pm EST. If it's possible to respond to me by 2 pm your time (I imagine you're on the West coast), that would be terrific. I'll call to follow-up on this post too since its urgent. We could always push back a night and make the DVDs tomorrow night if need be.

The question is: to title card or not to title card?

Thank you so much!

Best,

Vanessa

Hi Vanessa,

Thanks for sharing your question. Of course in art, as in life, there is no one answer. Each artist would chose a unique path to convey the story or idea in that drives them forward.

That said, while it is true that the Stories of Change initiative is very familiar with the nature of social entrepreneurial work, important informational gaps could pose a challenge. Of course in the end the films should largely speak for themselves, but perhaps for the trailer only, one title card at the beginning of the film (as in Star Wars) could provide the backstory and set up. Again however, the artistic choice is up to you!

Hi Rahdi,

Thank you so much. This is really helpful.

It's not that there are important informational gaps to cover so much as a larger picture the social entrepreneur's story is woven into in my trailer. While the under 10 min short films I've watched on social entrepreneurs on the Skoll sites are all pointedly focused on that one social entrepreneur who in telling their personal story, narrates the piece in a moving and effective way, stretching that into an hour and a half feature documentary requires broadening the story to encompass a wider cast of characters from my perspective, or the film might be in danger of feeling like an extended infomercial.

In weaving a larger narrative with more than one voice on the subject however, I don't want my audience to lose focus on the one social entrepreneur so for the purpose of the trailer, I think I will add one or more title cards.

Thanks again for the speed of your response too. I deeply appreciate it.

Best,

Vanessa

Hello there, my name is Srdjan Sarenac and I am currently developing feature length documentary "VILLAGE WITHOUT WOMEN" a story following three Serbian brothers chaotically attempt to seduce Albanian women in a last-ditch effort to save their remote, dilapidated village.

Dragan, Zoran, and Rodoljub Jankovic live in Zabrdje, a womanless village in southern Serbia. These three brothers represent nearly half of the village population where only seven inhabitants hold down the fort in what was once a vibrant rural community. If the three brothers remain single, the village will disappear. Their plan is to marry women willing to put up with the tough living conditions in Zabrdje, but they have had no luck convincing neighboring Serbian women to join them. In nearby Albania, the situation is versed. With all the men leaving to work in Greece, a predominately female population remains, living in surprisingly similar conditions to those of our brothers – no running water, no telephone lines, no shoulder to lean on.

For Zoran and Dragan, Albania is the only place to find brides. Rodoljub is totally against the idea. All three fought against Albania while serving in the Serbian army. Today, they are confronted with an opportunity to extend the olive branch towards the enemy. Will Zoran and Dragan's attempts be fruitful? Can mixed marriage between "two enemies" succeed in today's fragile Serbia? Can Rodujlub accept an Albanian sister-in-law?

My main question is can we consider Zoran as a a social entrepreneur?

By marrying Albanian woman in Serbia he is and individual with significant innovation that have the potential to address the critical challenges of our time.

Today when Serbia and Albania are two enemies and in conflict over status of Kosovo, Zoran`s plan to fin and marry Albanian woman is unique case of Serbian Albanian relation, it is possibility of understanding each other and finding a way to communicate and love each other.

Can you please tell me does my project VILLAGE WITHOUT WOMEN with Zoran as a social entrepreneur fit to

STORIES OF CHANGE: SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN FOCUS THROUGH DOCUMENTARY and can we apply to your programme?

Thank you!!!

Kindest regards!

Srdjan Sarenac

With the deadline fast approaching, can we Fed Ex the DVD's to you before completing the online application?

And here's a quote that highlights why your Stories of Change effort is critical for changing the world:

We humans live by stories. The key to making a choice for Earth Community is recognizing that the foundation of Empire’s power does not lie in its instruments of physical violence. It lies in Empire’s ability to control the stories by which we define ourselves and our possibilities…. To change the human future, we must change our defining stories.”

“We humans are a choicemaking species that at this defining moment faces both the opportunity and the imperative to choose our future as a conscious collective act… A convergence of climate change, peak oil, and the financial instability inherent in an unbalanced global trading system will bring an unraveling of the corporate-led global economy and a dramatic restructuring of every aspect of modern life. We cannot avoid the unraveling. We can, however, turn a potentially terminal crisis into an epic opportunity…

David Korten, author of The Great Turning.

Can an applicant appear on more than one project application? For example, appear as a producer on one project, and a dp, editor, consultant, etc. on another?

Hi there, I am new to blogging and have just been following this blog about social entrepeneurship and documentary filmmaking. I am the online manager for channel 19 (www.ch19.org) and we promote media to the world that is made by Indian communities about their own community and local issues. Video Volunteers, the organization which set up Channel 19, trains young people as COmmunity producers and set up a CVU - community video unit, as a part of a local NGO. The goal is to be able to have a self sustaining media unit as part of the NGO and the community.. the media they create is for a local audience and is used as a tool for campaigns or education awareness.

I would like to ask all of you, if you know any ideas on how we can promote this media on Channel 19? What would be effective for the world to watch? Yes, it is definitely interesting watching media that local producers in India have made about their own issues.. but after a few of them, it will start to look all the same.. so what else is possible?

Would love everyone's feedback and a continuation on this topic..

Hooray! After many late nights and rewrites of our proposal, our film team has turned in all the materials and applied online for this fantastic funding opportunity from the Skoll Foundation and Sundance. We are very excited to tell our story, "Unbroken," about a social entrepreneur by the name of Ken Frantz who founded a nonprofit organization called Bridges to Prosperity to help build and repair bridges in impoverished areas across Africa and Peru (so far). The wonderful part of his work is that he also trains and recruits people from the areas he works in to maintain the bridges after he leaves. He has influenced countless lives! Thank you so much for providing funding that recognizes how film can highlight the work of inspiring individuals such as Ken, and for this discussion board's ongoing conversation about systemic change and social outreach.

Happy to be here. I am from Ghana and I am a writer/director. I run a production company and currently, my company has finished working on a screenplay and we need financial assistance to shoot the movie.The movie touches on the negative effects of military take overs in Africa and its social,economic and health impart on the people. For the last 5 weeks or so, i have searched the net looking for funding for the project but almost all the funding available for filmmaking are for only Americans or Europeans. There is virtually nothing for Africans who need funding most since our governments and organizations have no respect for the arts . My kind request is, can you please link me to an individual or a company that will be interested in partnering with us to shoot the movie? It is absolutely going to be a business venture and a win win situation. We will send the screenplay to the prospective investor to read first. If the person likes the script, we take it from there. Thank You!

Happy to be here. I am from Ghana and I am a writer/director. I run a production company and currently, my company has finished working on a screenplay and we need financial assistance to shoot the movie.The movie touches on the negative effects of military take overs in Africa and its social,economic and health impart on the people. For the last 5 weeks or so, i have searched the net looking for funding for the project but almost all the funding available for filmmaking are for only Americans or Europeans. There is virtually nothing for Africans who need funding most since our governments and organizations have no respect for the arts . My kind request is, can you please link me to an individual or a company that will be interested in partnering with us to shoot the movie? It is absolutely going to be a business venture and a win win situation. We will send the screenplay to the prospective investor to read first. If the person likes the script, we take it from there. Thank You!

My email is vinkoshh@yahoo.com

Hi all, I wondered if there might be a specific date set yet in December for when Skoll will announce this year's recipients of the "Stories of Change: Social Entrepreneurship in Focus Through Documentary" grants. Thank you! Best, Vanessa