Remember when, thanks to many of you, we raised $50,000 to complete Driving with Selvi? This enabled us to pay top-flight professionals to help bring the film to its finest possible form. And then many of you pitched in with some of Selvi's travel costs, ensuring a successful festival launch.
We launched the film at Raindance Film Festival in Sept. 2015, and have traveled the world to over 100 festivals. We've been shown on TV in USA, Netherlands, Jordan, Kenya and on Oct. 13th, on CBC Documentary Channel.
And right this very moment, I'm in India, with our "Selvi's Bus Tour" campaign. All of this, thanks to your support, first with production, and then to help us launch our campaign. We are screening in over 20 communities across 5 states, but our goal is to reach far beyond this. With our Grassroots and Educational Campaign we intend to partner with organizations across India who will screen the film in their communities. Basically, we have a fantastic tool to open dialogue and create lasting change and your support will enable us to get this film in front of girls facing the same challenges that Selvi did.
Now we urgently need your help to make sure the film has the biggest impact it can on audiences – particularly in reaching women and girls in India.
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Driving with Selvi is not just a film – it’s also a robust social engagement campaign. Film has a powerful ability to inspire change, shift attitudes, and create social movements. With this in mind, the Driving with Selvi social engagement campaign will build on the narrative of the film to support women and girls’ resilience, self-empowerment, and economic opportunity in the face of patriarchy in India.
“This is a story that can spark a change in someone’s life.”
Zainab Salbi, Founder, Women for Women International
Launching in 2016, the campaign will include:
· a ten-day kick-off bus and media tour with Selvi at the wheel to inspire conversations about gender violence and non-traditional livelihoods for women and girls,
· a grassroots screening tour to show the film to one million viewers in rural and marginalized communities,
· a school and NGO program to ensure the film, and accompanying educational guides in multiple languages, are made available to organizations serving these communities, and
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initiatives to support young women through education, training and scholarship opportunities in non-traditional livelihoods.
"A powerful story and one of the most inspirational films. At the core of the story is an issue that is all-too prevalent in countries around the world, and that’s gender-based violence.…ultimately Selvi’s story is about hope and resilience...”
– John Beed, U.S. Mission Director for India, USAID
If you’ve already supported the completion of Driving with Selvi, we thank you. If you’re new to the film, welcome. And in either case, we hope you’ll join us in the next phase of our journey to make Driving with Selvi a real tool to inspire lasting change.
“I think sharing this film is not just important in the Indian content. I think it’s important to share in a global context to change the narrative around women as victims.”
– Kavita Ramdas, Country Representative, India, Ford Foundation
There are millions of Selvis out there, searching for a better life. Let’s share Selvi’s inspirational story and support them in building their futures.
Whatever you can do, we hope you’ll take that step now – any amount, big or small, really makes a big difference…
Together we can make it happen. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!
Elisa, Selvi, Julia, Shasha, and the whole Driving with Selvi Team
Documentary films have been proven to be effective tools for social engagement.
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The story of South India’s first female taxi driver
Selvi, like so many girls living in India, struggles with gender violence and poverty as a child. One day in deep despair, she chooses to escape, going on to become South India’s first female taxi driver. We first meet Selvi at a girls’ shelter in 2004 – timid, soft-spoken, a fresh runaway from a difficult life. Over a ten-year journey, we see a remarkable transformation as Selvi finds her voice and defies all expectations – learning to drive, starting her own taxi company, leading educational seminars, and much more.
Driving with Selvi highlights the challenges that millions of devalued women and girls in India face. In a society where women are often considered expendable or worthless, Selvi is exceptional – a charming, strong, and utterly courageous young woman who moves beyond the pain she’s experienced to create a new life.
About the Director
With more than 25 years’ experience in documentary production as a director, producer and cinematographer, Elisa Paloschi is president of Eyesfull, a Toronto- based independent production company dedicated to non-fiction documentaries that reflect the diversity of the human voice.
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SHARE THIS PAGE – Use the Indiegogo share tools above to let others know about this campaign. @drivingwselvi or facebook.com/drivingwithselvi
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WRITE A BLOG OR ARTICLE – Let us know if you want to do this and we’ll happily send you a press kit.
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BECOME AN OFFICIAL AMBASSADOR – We’re creating a worldwide network of passionate people to work with us on this project. Our ambassadors will commit to regularly posting about the film and the issues addressed on social media, sometimes write guest blogs, brainstorm ideas for the audience engagement campaign, and ultimately bring the film to their schools and communities when it’s complete.
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To the 478 individuals who supporter our first indiegogo campaign, as well as WIFFF, WIFI and the following
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