<![CDATA[Sophia Kruz - News]]>Mon, 02 Mar 2026 21:48:54 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[TEDxUofM Talk Now Online]]>Thu, 23 Mar 2017 00:40:51 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/tedxuofm-talk-now-online
Hey everyone! I gave a TEDx talk at the University of Michigan last month on LITTLE STONES and the role of art in global women's empowerment. If you missed it, I hope you'll check it out now that it's on youtube! 

xo
​Sophie
]]><![CDATA[Sophia Kruz to speak at TEDxUofM Weds. February 8th at 6pm]]>Tue, 07 Feb 2017 18:22:04 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/sophia-kruz-to-speak-at-tedxuofm-weds-february-8th-at-6pm

​This week, I'll be speaking at the TEDxUofM event on the University of Michigan campus at the Power Center! The sold out event will feature 8 'Dreamers and Disrupters' giving talks in the TED tradition on ideas worth sharing.

I'll be speaking about my most recent documentary, Little Stones, and my experiences as a University of Michigan student which led me to see the power of using art and culture to empower women and girls globally. 


​​No tickets? No problem! Here's how to tune into the online live stream:
LINK: http://tedxuofm.com/livestream
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Event begins at 6pm, EST

Pulp magazine's preview of TEDxUofM talk

Thank you also to the wonderful Anna Prushinskaya for putting together a preview of the talk for the Ann Arbor arts magazine Pulp. Here's a brief excerpt from our conversation:

Q: I know it is important to you that the team working on the film is women-led. Why?
A: It started as a practical necessity, actually. I knew in certain interviews, like with survivors of FGM in Senegal and sex-trafficking in India, it just wouldn’t be possible to have men in the room. The subject matter is taboo, so getting women to talk about their experiences on camera, I knew we would need all-female interpreters and also a woman cinematographer behind the camera. I wanted the women onscreen to feel comfortable sharing their stories and for our interviews to be a positive, maybe even cathartic experience. At the very least, I didn’t want to retraumatize the women and girls we filmed.
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You can read the full article on the Pulp website: ​http://pulp.aadl.org/node/354785
]]><![CDATA[Nearly $23,000 awarded to 'Little Stones' education campaign!]]>Tue, 25 Oct 2016 20:53:14 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/nearly-23000-awarded-to-little-stones-education-campaign
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Verizon Wireless Foundation's Thomas Hoy presented a $22,984 check to Darin Stockdill of the University of Michigan School of Education and Sophia Kruz, Meena Singh and Ankita Singh of Driftseed at a donation ceremony in Ann Arbor, MI on October 6, 2016.

The grant funding will be used to create toolkits for schools that encourage discussion about domestic violence and re-edits of Driftseed's 'Little Stones' documentary, which highlights how various forms of art can be a platform of expression and coping mechanism for gender based violence survivors. The toolkits will also include lesson plans, resources and discussion guides that will be tested by local Zonta International clubs and by high school and university partners.

]]><![CDATA[Register for the LITTLE STONES Test-Screening and Q&A Oct. 5 at the Michigan Theater]]>Sun, 11 Sep 2016 21:21:28 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/register-for-the-little-stones-test-screening-and-qa-oct-5-at-the-michigan-theater
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Register today with the University of Michigan Center for the Education of Women to attend the Little Stones Test-Screening and filmmaker Q&A with Sophia Kruz and Meena Singh in the main auditorium of the Michigan Theater on Wednesday October 5, 2016.

The event is free, but registration is mandatory and space is limited!

REGISTER: http://www.cew.umich.edu/about/news/SophiaKruzLittleStones
]]><![CDATA[UN Women Interview with Executive Director Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka]]>Wed, 27 Jul 2016 18:53:22 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/un-women-interview-with-executive-director-ms-phumzile-mlambo-ngcukaPicture
Little Stones cinematographer Meena Singh and I were thrilled to meet and interview UN Women Executive Director Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka yesterday at her New York offices for our final expert interview.

As we finish up post-production on the Little Stones documentary about women, art and social change, voices like hers are crucial in explaining the global impact of change-makers like Panmela Castro, Sohini Chakraborty, Anna Taylor and Sister Fa.

With our non-profit organization Driftseed, which seeks to empower women and girls around the world through documentary storytelling, Meena and I hope to partner with UN Women on sharing the messages in Little Stones with UN partners and agencies globally.
]]><![CDATA["Little Stones" & Kruz Featured in Pulp Blog]]>Tue, 07 Jun 2016 16:16:17 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/little-stones-kruz-featured-in-pulp-blogFormer CEW intern Juliana Roth features Kruz and her work on the 'Little Stones' documentary in the Pulp: Arts Around Ann Arbor blog. Read the article here.
]]><![CDATA[Kruz receives the 2015 AmaZing Woman Award from Zonta International Club of Ann Arbor Washtenaw]]>Mon, 25 Apr 2016 16:33:34 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/kruz-receives-the-2015-amazing-woman-award-from-zonta-international-club-of-ann-arbor-washtenawThe Zonta Club of Ann Arbor Washtenaw honored Sophia Kruz with their 2015 AmaZing Woman Award for her work on the Creating4Change Initiative. The awards brunch raised $350 through a raffle, which will be donated to support the Creating4Change Initiative and "Little Stones" documentary film.

If you'd like to support "Little Stones" film finishing, please head to Driftseed to make a tax-deductible donation.
]]><![CDATA[PBS Premier Tonight 4/13 of "Ride the Tiger: A Guide Through the Bipolar Brain"]]>Wed, 13 Apr 2016 18:54:25 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/pbs-premier-tonight-413-ofride-the-tiger-a-guide-through-the-bipolar-brainTONIGHT on PBS stations nationwide, tune in at 10PM eastern for the broadcast premier of Ride the Tiger: A Guide Through the Bipolar Brain, an original production of the Detroit Public Television National Documentary Unit & director Ed Moore. Creating4Change cinematographer Meena Singh and I criss-crossed the country for this documentary, talking to experts in bipolar‬ research and individuals diagnosed with the illness as producer and cinematographer.

​My take-away? Each and every one of us, whether we know someone who has bipolar illness or not, is affected by the current lack of understanding of the human brain. The scientists we interviewed for this documentary may be exploring treatments, causes and cures for bipolar, but their research has implications for all mental illnesses, mood disorders, and even those of us who love yoga and meditation.
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Synopsis

The reality of bipolar disorder is hard to fathom: nearly six million Americans have been diagnosed with the disorder and yet so little is known about how the illness manifests itself in our brains.
​Coming April 13, 2016 from Detroit Public Television (DPTV) and airing on PBS stations nationwide is Ride the Tiger: A Guide Through the Bipolar Brain, a one-hour documentary that tells the stories of highly accomplished individuals who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Narrated by David Ogden Stiers (American Experience), co-written by National Book Award-winning author Andrew Solomon (The Noonday Demon) and directed by duPont-Columbia Award-winner, Ed Moore, the documentary seeks to find out where the biological breakdowns occur and how we can possibly pre-empt, fix or rewire our brains back to recovery.

“The popular headline we keep hearing today is ‘Rewire your brain for happiness'," said Ed Moore executive producer, National Documentary Unit at Detroit Public Television. "And while it’s not that simple for those with severe mental illness, there is some truth to it—that the brain is far more malleable than we ever knew. And researchers are just now starting to understand how that works and how it could be harnessed for future treatments.”

Ride The Tiger weaves together brave and compelling stories of people with mood disorders with a new narrative of scientists and scholars on the cusp of discovery. It explores questions and connections that are spurring four scientific disciplines of mental health research: genetics, the brain, treatment, and basic science.
Patrick Kennedy, Founder, The Kennedy ForumAmong the people featured in the film are Patrick Kennedy, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives who most notably fought to end medical and societal discrimination against a variety of mental illnesses; Patty Duke – Oscar and Emmy-winning actress diagnosed with bipolar disorder in the early 1980s; Terri Cheney, former entertainment attorney who represented Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, and major motion picture studios; and Ellen Forney, talented cartoonist and award-winning author.
]]><![CDATA['Creating4Change' Michigan Speaking Tour]]>Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:12:10 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/october-28th-2015Picture
As the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women's Visiting Social Activist, I've been traveling all around Michigan to talk about Creating4Change and the four wonderful women featured in the film.

​On October 15th, I spoke at the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force's conference 'Human Trafficking: A Closer Look' in Dearborn, MI on Kolkata Sanved's approach to rehabilitating survivors of trafficking and abuse through dance movement therapy in India.

​On October 26th, I headed over to the St. Thomas Community Presbyterian Church in Shelby Township to share Creating4Change with a group of 100+ women...
...at the Changing HerStory event! This women's micro-lending organization was inspired by the remarkable women of iZōsh: Women Investing in Women in Ann Arbor, where I spoke in March 2015, and the Half the Sky book by Nicholas Kristof & Sheryl WuDunn.

Tonight I'm heading to the University of Michigan's School of Music, Theater & Dance to chat with students about marketing their art, and next week I'll be speaking to a group of 200+ undergraduates in the Global Scholars Program about the film. Phew! It's been an exciting month meeting new men and women who want to know more about using art to improve the lives of women and girls around the world.
]]><![CDATA['GO FAR: The Christopher Rush Story' is Now Available on DVD & Online]]>Tue, 01 Sep 2015 23:24:15 GMThttp://www.sophiakruzproductions.com/news/go-far-the-christopher-rush-story-is-now-available-on-dvd-onlineThe film 'GO FAR' is now out on DVD and online streaming! I was so honored to be the cinematographer on Zack Arnold's powerful documentary about a young man with muscular dystrophy who beat the odds. 

Find out more about the documentary here, or take a look at the trailer below.
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