Produced In partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery, the 6-episode live-action/animated film series shares the stories of 6 young women courageously meeting unique challenges encountered living in low-income communities in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Vietnam; premieres in Asia March 8.
In celebration of International Women’s Day next month, the global education nonprofit Room to Read announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery for the premiere of She Creates Change, the first nonprofit-led animation and live-action film project to promote gender equality through the stories of young women worldwide.
The series will premiere on Friday, March 8, 15 and 22, to audiences in Asia. Episodes will air on the Discovery ASIA channel in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and the TLC and Discovery+ India channels in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
She Creates Change is a series of six animated shorts with accompanying live-action mini-documentaries featuring narratives of six courageous young women from historically low-income communities in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Vietnam. Episodes portray each girl’s unique challenges, such as harassment, food scarcity, or early marriage, and how she advocates for herself and her future.
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“Room to Read’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery accelerates the goal of She Creates Change to reach all 432 million adolescent girls in the world with inspiring and informative content,” said Room to Read CEO Dr. Geetha Murali. “As girls see other young women, who face challenges similar to their own, use their skills and knowledge to shape their futures, they too will discover avenues to harness their own power and potential. We’re honored to partner with a media company that shares our commitment to the creation and distribution of quality multimedia content that can help girls develop skills, identify accessible role models, and catalyze the dignity girls need to overcome limiting gender norms.”
She Creates Change, backed by a women-led creative team, is executive produced by Murali, Brenda Chapman (Brave), Jill Culton (Abominable), Freida Pinto (Mr. Malcom’s List), and BAFTA and Emmy-winning entertainment studio Nexus Studios. Emmy-winner Martha Adams (Girl Rising) served as series director alongside Ian Blei as series producer. Moonshine Pictures led the live-action production with production support from Cineflix Media Inc.
Episodes feature voice performances by Pinto; Charithra Chandran; Prajakta Koli; Dilshad Vadsaria; Adhir Kalyan; Amita Suman; Amrita Acharia; and Quyen Ngo. Animation is directed by a diverse group of women directors curated by Nexus Studios, including Bonnie Taylor Forsyth; Claudia Chinyere Akole; Hannah Lau-Walker; Neeraja Raj; Prashanti Aswani; and Siqi Song. Karun Mungai performs the original song “Who I Am” written by Warsan Shire and composed by Lucie Treacher. Brain Audio provides sound and music production. She Creates Change was made possible with generous support from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation, Comic Relief US, and Tatcha.
She Creates Change is an official selection of Tribeca Festival (Tribeca X Award), Manchester Animation Festival (Best Short Film for Children), London Short Film Festival, and the British Animation Awards (2024 Audience Award). The series will premiere as a feature-length film as an official selection of the SXSW EDU Film Program on March 5, 2024.
The release of She Creates Change aligns with the launch of Room to Read’s flagship fundraising campaign, You Create Change, with a goal of raising $10 million to support girls' education and gender equality through Room to Read’s programs.
Through She Creates Change, which includes books and audio stories in addition to the film series, Room to Read seeks to support all adolescent girls in the world with content that equips and inspires them to create positive change in their lives and communities. Curriculum packages that align with the stories presented, based on Room to Read’s comprehensive Girls’ Education Program curriculum, will be provided online, through broadcast media and in-person programming.
Source: Room to Read
Debbie Diamond Sarto is news editor at Animation World Network.
