Justice and Human Rights United States Project #26174

Ignite Lasting Change with Community Film Events

by SIMA Studios

Project Report | Nov 20, 2018
November 2018 Updates

By Erin Newman | Director of Operations

Thank you for your continued support of SIMA! We’re excited to share our most recent updates from each of our programs with you.

SIMA AWARDS UPDATES:

We are excitedly underway with the SIMA 2019 Awards Cycle, celebrating our 7th year curating the most relevant global impact documentaries from across the globe. This year we received submissions from over 60 countries, with films spotlighting over 90 regions worldwide. The SIMA 2019 Pre-selection Committee has been diligently viewing submissions, helping us to narrow down the best from each respective category. We look forward to identifying our Finalists, which we will announce on January 10, 2019. The Finalists of our 2019 Awards Cycle are sure to be innovative works of film that illuminate the most pressing global challenges from the unique perspectives of those on the front lines to inspire empathy, critical thinking, and action.

SIMA CLASSROOM UPDATES:

Sima Classroom, our online global education + film platform currently reaches 1,800 educators and 42,000 high-school and college students in 30 countries. It combines a carefully curated collection of over 140 award-winning short documentaries and Virtual Reality films with learning resources and participatory skill building lessons.

We recently launched a free and accredited Impact Media Literacy Course for educators in partnership with Participate in response to learning that teachers lacked the confidence to employ media resources in their lessons. The 10 hour online course guides educators from curation and analysis through in-classroom screening and campaign development with students, allowing them to discover and unleash the power of storytelling to educate and inspire through a professional development tool.

In order to respond to educators and students interest for innovative thematic curated playlists and participatory lesson plans, we have just incorporated to the platform a new lesson plan specifically designed to bring SDGs to life through a screening campaign in and beyond classroom walls. Co-created with leading experts and paired with our existing SDGs Playlist, The SDGs Advocate: 2030 CHALLENGE is a cutting edge, action-based guide to empower students with inspiration and community organizing tools to learn, advocate, and mobilize around a global issue they care about.

Together with the International Film Club (a project of iEarn) we are inviting educators everywhere to take part in the collaborative Virtual Exchange experience where we offer access to two of our award-winning documentaries from the SIMA Classroom collection. The 2018/19 program begins this November with the invitation to watch KAYAYO, THE LIVING SHOPPING BASKET, a documentary about young girls in Ghana, who are forced by their families or who go willingly to work in the city to help increase the household's earnings.

Thanks to your support we continue providing sponsored access to SIMA Classroom. Since October more than 250 girls from Gathirimu Girls T. High School in Kenya have the opportunity to access quality global citizenship education.

TRAVELING SERIES UPDATES:

In July SIMA teamed up with World Merit, a world renowned social enterprise that catalyzes action against social issues, for the SIMA + World Merit Challenge to empower local leaders to bring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their own communities through the power of social impact cinema. With over 15 events in 11 countries, the World Merit Challenge brought communities together to view some of SIMA’s most inspiring films, discuss ideas and solutions, and learn how to become effective advocates and community organizers for causes most relevant to them.

We announced the winner of the SIMA + World Merit Challenge in August, awarding Chaste Inegbedion for organizing a screening of Mari Bakke Riise’s KAYOYA, THE LIVING SHOPPING BASKETS at the Kirikiri women’s prison in Apapa, Lagos State, Nigeria. Inedgbedion’s screening reached an audience of over 350 people and placed an emphasis on the Sustainable Development Goal of POVERTY. Inedgbedion partnered with various organizations for the event, including Padman Africa, which he notes “represents the foundation for low income girls to break free from their cycle of period poverty.” The event also included a panel discussion with speakers including Tola Oni (Mandela Washington Fellow Alumnus), Bayode Treasures Olawunmi (Guinness World Record Title Holder for ”The Longest Reading Marathon (Read Aloud)”), Ronke Oguntoyinbo (Director, Leadership Empowerment and Resource Network, LEARN), and Nelson Olaonipekun (Founder Citizen's Gavel). The screening aimed to raise awareness regarding the complex issue of women’s poverty, while encouraging viewers to take action through advocating for disadvantaged women.

The SIMA + World Merit Challenge allowed individuals across the globe to gain exposure to relevant social issues and insight into world events. Below is a collection of quotes from various participants, expressing the impact of the SIMA Screenings they hosted in their communities.

“It helped to increase awareness on impacts of nuclear energy, available renewable energy technologies,and how they can be accessed as well as the limitations to access. The discussion provided an open platform for participants to share with the guest speaker, event host, and other participants.” - Isaac Sserwanga, Organizer for #SIMAKampala

“Audiovisual experiences connect a person with a subject better than anything else can. I think it's easy to relate and see yourself in some situations, it's easier to understand, to feel close to the lesson the film is trying to teach.” - Brena Lacerda, Organizer for #SIMABarraMansa

“In a word which is dominated by visual media and social media acts as a communication channel, film is an excellent tool for changing hearts and minds and creating awareness.” - Event Organizers for #SIMAKarachi

Some other notable screenings of SIMA Collection films include the October screening of SIMA 2017 360 + VR Finalist REFUGEES by the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) Future of Film Fair. The Eduardo Hernandez & Yori van Gerven directed film offers an immersive glimpse into the reality of the ongoing refugee crisis, following the lives of Turkish migrants in Lesbos, Greece.

Also in October was the The Adventure Trade Travel Association (ATTA) screening of A PLASTIC OCEAN in Italy. The film directed by Craig Leeson follows the journey of a team of researchers and scientists as they travel the globe exposing alarming truths about plastic pollution. ATTA also hosted a screening in November of VOICES FROM THE SEA in Brazil. Directed by Álvaro Farías, the film centers on how the Rapa Nui people organize to combat overfishing and pollution on Easter Island. The screening encouraged viewers to consider the far-reaching effects of pollution, while gaining knowledge about the ways global communities adapt to respond to environmental challenges.

SIMA RAMA UPDATES:

SIMA RAMA is our monthly online film club for impact cinema. Each month we bring together a documentary, live podcast, bonus features and unique ways to take collective action.

This September we followed the aftermath of a police massacre in a poverty stricken mining community in South Africa in Aliki Saragas’s STRIKE A ROCK. The film documents the journey of two grandmothers as they rise out of their homes and lead their community in a historic fight against seemingly insurmountable odds for justice and dignity. An intimate story where the personal becomes political, following fighting on-the-ground to the corridors of power, the film presents the grandmothers’ struggle to take on Goliath enemies and make their voices heard. Our panel included filmmaker Aliki Saragas, Palesa Madi of CALS, and former U.S. Congresswoman Donna Edwards, discussing the film’s themes of women’s rights, labor rights, and industry in the context of the film.

In October, we delved into the USA’s Satanic Panic witch-hunt era of the 80s and 90s in Deborah Esquenazi’s SOUTHWEST OF SALEM. After being wrongfully convicted of gang-raping two little girls, four Latina lesbians fight against mythology, homophobia, and prosecutorial fervor in their struggle for exoneration in this critically acclaimed ‘True Crime’ tale. Our panel featured filmmaker Deborah Esquenazi, director of the HRW Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Rights Program Graeme Reid, as well as Michael Ware and Anna Vasquez of the Innocence Project.

This month, we are streaming Christoffer Guldbrandsen’s STEALING AFRICA, an investigation into the Glencore Mining Corporation’s impact on poverty in Zambia. Despite possessing the third largest copper reserves in the world, 60% of the Zambian population lives on less than $1 a day. Ruschlikon, a wealthy village in Switzerland, receives more tax than it can use thanks to resident Ivan Glasenberg, CEO of Glencore, whose copper mines in Zambia are generating huge profits. Our panel guests include Keely Badger, Executive Director of the Neda Nobari Foundation, Dr. Fola Adeleke, Head of Research of the Mandela Institute, Dr. Brett Carter, Assistant Professor in the School of International Relations at USC, and Mukasiri Sibanda, Accountant at the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA).

As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions to helping us scale social impact through visual storytelling worldwide.

With warmth and gratitude from the SIMA Team.

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Aug 22, 2018
August 2018 Updates

By Erin Newman | Operations Manager

Thank you for your continued support of SIMA! We’re excited to share our most recent updates from each of our programs with you.

SIMA AWARDS UPDATES:

As summer winds to an end, we’re looking forward to the SIMA 2019 Awards Cycle. For its 7th year, SIMA will open for entries on September 7th including short and feature documentaries, impact videos, and VR and 360 experiences.Known for bridging the global gap between filmmakers and their audiences and encouraging thoughtful action, the annual SIMA Awards honor the work of content creators who are pushing the boundaries of social and political storytelling. We look forward to reviewing the impactful submissions!

SIMA CLASSROOM UPDATES:

SIMA Classroom brings social impact education to students around the world with a curated platform of short films and virtual reality experiences. We now serve 177 schools and organizations reaching over 42,000 students in 25 countries.

We recently launched a new program to bring SIMA Classroom to high school and college students in Singapore with social enterprise Air Amber. Their mission is to provide transformational opportunities for youth and kids, heeding a national call for the nurturing of good values, development of character and citizenship education. The partnership kicked off with over 200 students from the Singapore University of Social Studies joining SIMA Classroom. We’re looking forward to connecting with more students in Singapore in the months ahead.

In preparation for the new school year, we have been working with Digital Promise Global and Kiva to introduce two new innovative lesson plans to the SIMA Classroom platform. The lessons make full use of our films as a springboard for learning new skills (like producing a film) and dig deep into global issues (like microfinance). All of our lesson plans are designed to capitalize on the power of social impact film to build understanding and connections.

We have also launched a new community platform for educators teaching with film and digital storytelling to come together. The Participate community is designed for anyone to join and share ideas or resources on integrating film and media into lessons on everything from the Global Goals (SDGs), human rights and more.

Thanks to your support we have been able to continue providing SIMA Classroom for free to at least 90% of participating educators.

TRAVELING SERIES UPDATES:

We continue to work with our network partners to bring SIMA films to communities around the world.

In July we teamed up with World Merit, a world renowned social enterprise that catalyzes action against social issues, for the World Merit Challenge to empower local leaders to bring the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to their own communities through the power of social impact cinema.

We have been overwhelmed by the admirable humanitarian aspirations and organizing efforts of World Merit volunteers. With over 15 events in 11 countries, the World Merit Challenge brought communities together to view some of SIMA’s most inspiring films, discuss ideas and solutions, and learn how to become effective advocates and community organizers for causes most relevant to them. Events took place in diverse locations around the globe, including community centers, schools, and even prisons, and reached over 1,500 people ranging from youth to elders.

SIMA RAMA UPDATES:

SIMA RAMA is our monthly online film club for impact cinema. Each month we bring together a documentary, live podcast, bonus features and unique ways to take collective action.

This June we met refugees from Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp in SALAM NEIGHBOR, a moving film documenting the struggle of 85,000 Syrians attempting to restart their lives inside the camp. For the first time two filmmakers fully embedded themselves in the camp, providing an intimate look at the world’s most dire humanitarian crisis. From meeting Um Ali, a woman struggling to overcome personal loss, to the street-smart, 10-year-old Raouf, whose trauma hides just beneath his ever present smile, they uncovered inspiring stories of individuals rallying to rebuild their lives and those of their neighbors.

In July, THE WELL brought us to the Horn of Africa, a region of the world that is periodically shocked by terrible droughts. We learned how each year to prepare for the coming drought, Borana herders will gather their livestock and walk for days to the dry Oromia Lowlands (South of Ethiopia) to retrieve water from their secular astonishing “singing” wells. With its strong photography and its epic narration, the film followed their life during a whole dry season, showing a unique traditional water management system that regulates what water is available as the property and right of everyone, without any money being exchanged.

This month we are streaming ALBATROSS, a striking meditation on the North Pacific bird demonstrating the tragic impact of man-made pollution on nature, which is simultaneously a deep expression of beauty and love for life on earth. On a remote atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, albatross chicks are dying, bodies filled with plastic. ALBATROSS unflinchingly shows the horror and grief of this tragedy, but ultimately brings us to a deeply felt experience of beauty and love for life on Earth. Stepping outside of traditional documentary film style, ALBATROSS delivers a profound message of reverence and renewal.

Join us for September SIMA RAMA to watch STRIKE A ROCK, a gripping story that follows two women fighting for justice after a massacre by police in Nkaneng, Marikana. In October we will feature SOUTHWEST OF SALEM, a critically acclaimed ‘True Crime’ tale about the Satanic Panic witch hunt era of the 80s and 90s, followed by STEALING AFRICA in November, which investigates the corporate ownership and profiteering of Zambia’s copper mines, which are amongst the largest in the world.

As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions to helping us scale social impact through visual storytelling worldwide.

With warmth and gratitude from the SIMA Team.

Links:

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May 25, 2018
May 2018 Updates

By Erin Newman | Operations Manager

Thank you for your continued support of SIMA! We’re excited to share our most recent updates from each of our programs with you.

SIMA AWARDS UPDATES:

Fresh from the announcement of our SIMA Awards 2018 in February, we’re already putting plans in place to launch SIMA Awards 2019. We will officially open for submissions from social impact features, shorts and virtual reality experiences in September 2018. We look forward to reviewing the impactful submissions!

SIMA CLASSROOM UPDATES:

SIMA Classroom brings social impact education to students around the world with a curated platform of short films and virtual reality experiences. We now serve 171 schools and organizations reaching over 41,000 students in 26 countries. Thanks to your support we have been able to continue providing SIMA Classroom for free to at least 90% of participating educators.

The power of introducing social impact film into classrooms is evident in the reactions we receive from students. Here is a snapshot of feedback from schools in the USA and Morocco following a screening of SUNFLOWER SEEDS, a documentary that follows young Syrian refugees trying to make a new life in Greece:

“It is a film that needs to be watched because it highlights an issue that often doesn't get discussed: life after the move of a refugee. It's necessary for us to know about conflict in the world so that we know where needs must be met.”

“I liked the message that it was showing about how refugees are sometimes treated differently.”

“I would say you are going to watch something that will change your whole view on your life, because in this documentary you can't help but compare and contrast your lifestyle with theirs.”

The SIMA Classroom platform continues to grow with new films and resources. We have added 14 new short documentaries and virtual reality experiences, selected from the finalists and winners of the 2018 Social Impact Media Awards. These films represent a diverse range of social impact issues, and use a wide range of of cinematic styles and formats to tell dynamic stories about the world around us.

With subjects ranging from the noise pollution in the quietest part of North America, to the daily lives of those who work at the Perma gold mine, to the impact of a yo-yoing subculture in gang riddled East Baltimore, these films are wonderful examples of the role of film in social impact education and representation.

TRAVELING SERIES UPDATES:

We continue to work with our network partners to bring SIMA films to communities around the world.

On April 13th, SIMA Screening Partner The Skirball Center welcomed almost 200 ninth through twelfth grade students, along with their teachers and chaperones, for a second installment of a Short Film & Dialogue Program. SIMA provided the short documentaries SO YOU THINK YOU CAN VOTE, WHY WE MARCH, MEDIAOCRACY, RUN REP RUN!, AND RIO EU AMO EN CUDIO, outfitting the program’s focus on Art and Activism.

SIMA RAMA UPDATES:

SIMA RAMA is our monthly online film club for impact cinema. Each month we bring together a documentary, live podcast, bonus features and unique ways to take collective action.

This March we watched A WORLD NOT OURS, a passionate, bittersweet account of one family's multi-generational experience living as permanent refugees. Now a Danish resident, director Mahdi Fleifel grew up in the Ain el-Helweh refugee camp in southern Lebanon, established in 1948 as a temporary refuge for exiled Palestinians. Today, the camp houses 70,000 people and is the hometown of generations of Palestinians. The filmmaker's childhood memories are surprisingly warm and humorous, a testament to the resilience of the community. Yet his yearly visits reveal the increasing desperation of family and friends who remain trapped in psychological as well as political limbo. Jennifer Geist, Educator and founder of Zeitgeist Creations moderated the compelling and informative Impact Talk on the subject of protracted refugee situations featuring Patrick Campbell, Producer of A WORLD NOT OURS and Bill Frelick, director of Human Rights Watch's refugee program. Visit the A World Not Ours Film Page from the SIMA RAMA archive to watch or listen to the Impact Talk.

In April we learned about political corruption and genocide in Guatemala with BURDEN OF PEACE, which follows Guatemala’s first female Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz in her fight against impunity. After taking office Claudia obtains spectacular results and many high level arrests are made. But her determination encounters strong resistance from powerful elites that have up to then felt above the law. Burden of Peace allows us to witness her battle against corruption, impunity, crime bosses and former political leaders responsible for genocide. The wonderful Jennifer Geist of Zeitgeist Creations again moderated a compelling Impact Talk, this time about institutionalized violence and women in politics featuring BURDEN OF PEACE Director, Joey Boink and Sandra Pepera, Director for Gender Women and Democracy for the National Democratic Institute. Visit the Burden of Peace Film Page from the SIMA RAMA archive to watch or listen to the Impact Talk.

This month we are streaming THANK YOU FOR THE RAIN, a cinematic story exploring climate justice. Five years ago Kisilu, a Kenyan farmer, started to use his camera to capture the life of his family, his village and the damages of climate change. When a violent storm throws him and a Norwegian filmmaker together we see him transform from a father, to a community leader and activist on the global stage. The Impact Talk about resilience and the heroes of climate justice features director of the film Julia Dahr, along with Emily Wanja, Impact Producer for the film, Director of the Climate Justice Resilience Fund, Heather McGray, and expertly moderated by Independent Journalist Paula Adhiambo Rogo. Watch or listen to the Impact Talk here.

Join us for June SIMA RAMA to watch SALAM NEIGHBOR, a timely reflection on the Syrian Refugee Crisis. In July we will feature THE WELL, a strong photographic narrative that brings attention to indigenous water management practices in the Horn of Africa, followed by ALBATROSS in August, a striking meditation on the North Pacific bird demonstrating the tragic impact of man-made pollution on nature, which is simultaneously a deep expression of beauty and love for life on earth.

As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions to helping us scale social impact through visual storytelling worldwide.

With warmth and gratitude from the SIMA Team.

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