‘We want to hear the voices of young creative India on aid’
Caroline Diehl, Chief Executive, Media Trust, talks about The Global360 Challenge - a film-making contest for young Indians that seeks to show how society, technology and aid are transforming Indian lives for the better Q] Tell us about the Global360 Challenge. We want to show that development aid can work wonders when it’s spent well – from saving lives to helping people fulfil their ambitions. We are looking for different kinds of films to focus on people and communities whose lives have been changed by aid, and on the social entrepreneurs, technologies and initiatives, from the most simple to the most innovative, that are making a difference. We are partnering with the top creative ad directors and film-makers from the advertising and TV industry in India.. Q] What is the objective of the project? Media Trust won a Cannes Chimera award that had the brief to engage young people in the global north (UK in our case) in positive thinking around international development aid. Our brief was to show that ‘aid is working’. Quite a huge challenge for just a very small amount of pilot funding! So our winning idea was to engage young film-makers from the global south with young film-makers in the UK. The former tell the stories, the latter engage with distributing the content in the UK, where we have a UK-wide TV channel community, and partnerships with UK’s Print and online media industry, as well as the UK Youth Parliament and many other youth organizations. Q] What were the insights behind choosing talent from India for this project? There are huge ties between young people in India and the UK - cultural, social, family ties and language. There is also a passion for films across India, and a deeply creative award-winning advertising industry. Development aid to India is quite a controversial issue in the UK. The UK government is withdrawing aid to India. Is this the right thing to do? Are international foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation who are funding this initiative, right to continue to invest aid in India? We want to hear the voices of young creative India, and we want UK’s young opinionformers to hear those voices too. We want young film-makers to tell the story that people, organizations and aid can and do make a difference, and that it is important for governments and foundations to continue to invest in development aid, that the world is a small place, and that we are all connected. We leave young Indian film-makers to choose the topic that they are passionate about - this could be around education, girls and young women, water and sanitation, health, energy, but also the more innovative solutions that aid is supporting, such as social entrepreneurs, or innovative technology solutions. Q] How is Media Trust going about getting young talent and mentors to work on this project? Media Trust is reaching out to NGOs, film-schools, advertising agencies, media companies and individuals.To give us a deeper insight into the Indian advertising and media landscape and connect with the right people, we have on board our strategic advisor Paulomi Dhawan who acts as a bridge between Media Trust and Indian agencies. We hope that social media will help spread the word, and of course are thrilled that exchange4media is supporting us! We have had fantastic interest, and nearly everyone thinks they can make something special by the June 30 deadline. Q] What is the kind of response you have got so far? I’m thrilled at the response. We already have a number of film-makers lined up, and some leading creative directors and chief executives in the advertising and media industry who want to engage their younger staff in this project. It’s a fantastic opportunity for young creatives to work on a brief that is, to say the least, challenging. India’s creative industry really wants to change the world, and to give their young talent the chance to show their skills and creativity. What is the Global360 Challenge? A film-making contest for Indian citizens aged between 18 and 25, who believe that a film can change the world. The participants must create short 1-3 minute films and longer TV shows for broadcast in the UK and globally on YouTube, about how India is changing, and how society, technology and aid are transforming Indian lives for the better. The films can be of different kinds - shorts, reports, documentaries and entertainment, telling surprising, inspiring, funny and beautiful stories that people can relate to, wherever they live. Media Trust, the UK’s leading communications charity, has partnered with the Cannes Chimera and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to run the initiative. The goal is to engage young people in the issues around development aid. There are two strands – Shorts and Shows - both focusing on the main topics of Women and Society, Technology and Change and Health and Wellbeing. How to participate Participants can register their interest by June 1 and submit their film by June 30 to Cherish Oteka at cherisho@mediatrust.org. Films should be delivered in Quicktime and in English language or English-subtitled. Feedback: priyanka.mehra@exchange4media.com
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