I was thrilled to be named the University of Michigan's Center for the Education of Women 2015 Visiting Social Activist! Thanks to the fellowship, I'll be able to focus on Creating4Change full time this fall, working on the documentary's post-production and outreach & education campaign plans. If you'd like to read more about the VSA fellowship and all the other good work CEW is doing this year, check out their newsletter.
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Last week iZosh: Women Investing in Women invited me to speak about the role of art in global women's empowerment and my upcoming documentary Creating4Change. The event is part of an ongoing series that iZosh hosts twice annually, and over 150 Ann Arbor women turned up for the event on March 20th! These motivated women inspired me, raising nearly $14,000 in one evening which they give out as micro-loans to women living in extreme poverty worldwide. For more on iZosh and the March 20th event, take a look at their fabulous blog post.
This week I'll be delivering two keynote speeches on Creating4Change and the role of art in the global empowerment of women and girls. Both events are free and members of the public are encouraged to attend.
Wednesday, March 18 - Albion College Women's History Month Anna Howard Keynote Address at 7:30 p.m. in the Science Complex Towsley Auditorium at Albion College in Albion, MI. The event is free and open to the public. More information can be found the Albion College website. Friday, March 20th - iZosh: Women Investing in Women iZosh keynote address at 7PM at the Huron Hills North Church at 3150 Glazier Way in Ann Arbor, MI. The event is free and open to women of all ages. More information can be found on the iZosh website. Creating4Change director Sophia Kruz interviewed for NPR & Michigan Radio on the documentary and Indiegogo crowd-funding campaign. Click here to listen to the interview on the web or read the interview transcript after the break.
In 2014, the Creating4Change team criss-crossed the globe, from the favelas of Brazil to the runways of New York Fashion Week, documenting incredible women and their use of the creative arts to promote women's rights and social change. One of these inspiring artists is Sohini Chakraborty. A dancer, choreographer, and sociologist by training, Sohini has dedicated her life to healing survivors of trafficking through dance.
Help us return to Kolkata in 2015 so we can document Sohini's new pilot-project using dance to prepare girls to testify in court against their traffickers. Click here to donate to Creating4Change: www.creating4change.com/support Nearly one year ago, I launched a campaign for a documentary that would take me and cinematographer Meena Singh around the world telling stories of positive change for women and girls. In 2014, we criss-crossed the globe, from New York Fashion Week to the favelas of Rio de Janiero, filming graffiti artists protesting domestic violence, and sex trafficking survivors reclaiming their bodies through dance. And now, I'm thrilled to share this sneak preview of Creating4Change with you: WHAT'S NEXT FOR CREATING4CHANGE?
We're now mid-way through production on Creating4Change, and we have big plans to finish shooting the documentary in 2015. We're currently raising funds to support production in Senegal in February 2015, so we can document Sister Fa's use of music to prevent genital mutilation. DONATIONS NOW TAX-DEDUCTIBLE! So far, we've raised over $30,000 to support production on Creating4Change from grants, foundations and private donations from individuals like you! Now, thanks to our fiscal sponsorship with the 501c3 non-profit arts organization Fractured Atlas, you can make a tax-deductible contribution to help us finish shooting! We hope you'll consider including us in your end of the year giving plan. CROWD-FUNDING LAUNCH We've decided to launch a crowd-funding campaign to support production on Creating4Change in 2015! Here's how you can help us reach our $30,000 goal:
Thank you all for the kindness, curiosity, and generosity that propelled Creating4Change through this first year of production! xoxo Sophie I'm up on Gaylord, MI this weekend to deliver the keynote address for Zonta District 15's Fall Conference "The Colors of Zonta" on Sunday. Zonta International is a UN-affiliated women's organization made up of local chapters of women-leaders around the world who believe women's rights are human rights. I'll be talking to the audience of approximately 200 women about my passion-project "Creating4Change". Looking forward to showing these ladies a few new clips from my upcoming documentary, and hearing about the good work they're doing through out the U.S. and Canada this weekend! Learn more about Zonta at: www.zonta.org The National Documentary Unit at Detroit Public TV (WTVS) is developing a new series called "Detroit 139" about people who are working to bring back the 139 square miles of the city of Detroit. I got the chance to interview Coach Khali Sweeney about his Downtown Youth Boxing Gym for the show's pilot episode. Part academic, part mentorship, the gym's boxing program for at-risk urban youth is getting students off the streets, and into the ring.
Current Magazine's Ann Dwyer wrote a nice feature on the 'A Space for Music, A Seat for Everyone' (2013) EMMY Award-win for 'Best Historical Documentary' at the Michigan EMMY Awards. The article also gives a sneak peek behind the scenes of 'Creating4Change' filming in Rio de Janeiro last month! Check it out on the web here. |
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March 2017
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