Cinema as an Instrument of Social Change

Posted by on 1 June, 2010 in ALL POSTS, Primary
2 Comments

Movies can be a powerful medium to catalyze social change. That at least is the underlying belief of Participant Media, a movie production company founded by Jeff Skoll. Participant Media was the production house that backed movies like The Inconvenient Truth, Charlie Wilson’s War and many other socially relevant and yet commercially  successful movies and documentaries.

Now, a new venture fund called Cause Entertainment Fund (CEF) wants to do that same in India [via Economic Times]

Two former investment bankers, Vicky Dhir and Aditya Mehta, have launched a “Cause Entertainment Fund” (CEF) which will invest in socially conscious yet commercially viable films.

Though a new concept in India, venture capital funds catering specifically to social causes are common in developed countries. The CEF founders believe in using cinema as an instrument of social change.

It is really encouraging to see a ‘double bottom-line’ production house in India. Movies are a really powerful medium in India and it is a commendable step by CEF to explicitly leverage its power to induce social change.

We will continue to track CEF’s growth in this space.

Photo Courtesy: Biblioteca de Arte-Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian/Flickr


Santhosh Ramdoss

Santhosh Ramdoss

Santhosh Ramdoss is currently a Program Manager at BRAC USA, the US office of BRAC. BRAC is one of largest non-profit organizations in the world, with its roots in Bangladesh. It has pioneered a south-south model for development, leveraging on its experience in Bangladesh to address poverty in other parts of Asia and Africa. In his role, Santhosh supports BRAC’s resource mobilization efforts in the US and also helps manage its global partnerships. In addition, he continues his work with Profits for People, a social venture he cofounded, focused on creating economic opportunities for rural poor in India by investing in local entrepreneurs

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