Press Release
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra felicitates winners of YES! i am the CHANGE, India’s largest social filmmaking movement
Eminent filmmakers and educationists selected India’s top social films from 1750+ films received pan-India
Mumbai; October 30, 2014:- Stalwarts of India’s film, corporate and social sectors celebrated the best social films by youth at YES FOUNDATION’s YES! i am the CHANGE awards event on October 30, 2014, which has emerged as India’s largest social film making movement. The objective of this challenge is to bring about a mindset change amongst youth and trigger sensitivity and engagement with social causes.
Celebrated film personality and director, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra felicitated 10 winning social filmmakers. The awards ceremony will be followed by a two-day film festival on October 31 and November 1 in Mumbai showcasing 60 select films interspersed with interactive sessions with individuals from the film fraternity, October 31 : Dylan Gray (documentary filmmaker), Kunal Kapoor (actor and co-Founder of online donation platform, Ketto) and Bishakha Dutta (Filmmaker and Board Member, Wikimedia) and on November 1, Siddharth Sinha (National Award winning Filmmaker) and Kailash Surendranath (Veteran Ad film-maker).
Chief guest Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra lauded the enthusiasm and the spirit of the young social film makers saying, “On the onset, I'm a less worried person today, with such a lovely endeavour and platform to give rise to social transformation through films... I think all of us are very happy to have a foundation like YES FOUNDATION behind us. If this experience of 101 hours of film-making stayed with you and came back to haunt you in a month, then all I can say is that it’s meant to be the way forward. There's a huge a lack of social journalism in the country, it is very important to take this line ahead."
These top short films were part of the 1750+ film entries received pan-India for the YES! i am the CHANGE 101-Hour Indian Social Filmmaking Challenge held between August 15-19, 2014. More than 50,000 youth from all states of India participated in the Challenge.
Rana Kapoor, Chief Mentor YES FOUNDATION, highlighted the impact of media in driving social transformation, saying, “YES! i am the CHANGE has emerged as India‟s largest social film making movement, whose genius lies in a total experiential and deep involvement of the youth. The movement uses the amplifying nature of media to connect the untapped power of youth to „voices less heard‟ thereby strengthening the voice of civil society.”
In today‟s digital era, a short film on a developmental issue can trigger great social action. YES! i am the CHANGE, The top 10 films were selected by an eminent jury, including Guneet Monga(Producer of Gangs of Wasseypur & The Lunch Box), Vikramaditya Motwane, (Director, Udaan & Lootera) Shoojit Sircar (Director, Vicky Donor), Pritish Nandy (Renowned Film Producer, Journalist & Poet), Kailash Surendranath(Veteran Ad
Filmmaker), Nina Lath(Managing Director, National Film Development Corporation), Dr. Indu Shahani (ex-Sheriff of Mumbai and well-known educationist) and Dr. Nagesh Rao(President and Director, MICA)
“The high–quality social films produced by the youth are insightful and heart-felt, and are already inspiring ripples of change. YES!i am the CHANGE is leading the youth to believe in India and that they impact change for a better India ,”said Ms. Prerana Langa, CEO, YES FOUNDATION.
The winners would be awarded a total grant of INR 25 (twenty-five) lakhs to make films on a social cause. This includes a fund of INR five lakhs to assist the filmmakers in propagating their films as well as upgrading their skills. The best films produced through this program would be screened across national and international platforms to sensitise youth on social issues.
ABOUT YES! i am the CHANGE:
YES! i am the CHANGE is a nationwide movement to inspire, engage and empower youth to make five-minute films on social causes. This initiative provides transformative experiences which enables youth to become agents of change while creating invaluable communication resources for use of Not-for-Profits.
ABOUT YES FOUNDATION:
YES FOUNDATION is the social development arm of YES BANK and works towards a vision of an empowered and equitable India. It focuses on stimulating entrepreneurship and innovative use of media initiatives for social transformation, to enable India’s inclusive growth and development.
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