Ignite Lasting Change with Community Film Events

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

SIMA AWARDS UPDATES:

We are super busy getting prepped for SIMA 2018! Submissions open in a few short weeks (September 8), and we have created a new digital submissions platform, streamlining the submission process. Our pre-selection committee is lined up and includes 20 new members, and is ready to dive into impact cinema! We look forward to sharing the SIMA 2018 Finalists with you in January 2018.

SIMA CLASSROOM UPDATES:

We are excited to announce that joining our team as Education Program Director is Gemma Bradshaw. Gemma has a background in film festivals and public policy and is passionate about the power of film to open minds and create space for conversation & change.  Welcome to the SIMA team, Gemma!!

In partnership with the United Nations, One World International Schools, HRE USA, Ashoka, and the Global Teacher Prize, we are providing free one year access for 100 educators to SIMA Classroom. We look forward to onboarding these new educators and introducing impact cinema to new classrooms.

We are pleased to share our newest program feature - Playlists! Human rights education-focused themes can be explored more fully with SIMA Classroom Playlists, which combine impactful films with inspired classroom-based engagement models. From titles that address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to films addressing the 30 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, our Playlists make it easy for educators to match instruction with impact cinema.

Our bi-monthly SIMA Classroom digest launched this summer, providing updates from SIMA Classroom, including: new films and resources, updates to the platform, lessons plans and classroom engagement models, theme-focused video playlists, ideas on how to get students involved and engaged, and more! Sign up for our newsletter to receive the digest in your inbox.

SIMA RAMA & TRAVELING SERIES UPDATES:

This June in SIMA RAMA we met two incredible doctors who trek to some of the most remote places in the world to restore sight to those blinded by cataracts in OUT OF THE DARKNESS. Nepalese doctor Sanduk Ruit and his American partner, Dr. Geoff Tabin, trek their way through the remote highlands of the Himalayas restoring sight. We met these two incredible doctors and Director Stefano Levi during our live panel, and supported the continued efforts of the Himalayan Cataract Project.

July brought us the opportunity to share POVERTY, INC. Fighting poverty is big business, but who profits the most? Filmed in 20 countries, POVERTY, INC. unearths an uncomfortable side of charity we can no longer ignore. We hungout with Co-Producer Mark Weber; Former Deputy Director of The Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, Daniela Papi-Thornton; and Community Engagement Manager at Thousand Currents, Verónica Moreno; for a live panel discussion exploring aid vs. enterprise and solutions to poverty.

August focused on OMO CHILD: THE RIVER AND THE BUSH, filmed in Ethiopia. Haunted by what he saw as a child in his own village, OMO CHILD tells the amazing true story of an educated young tribesman who vows to bring about an end to the tribal practice of killing children who are considered cursed. We discuss OMO CHILD and what the next steps are in stopping tribal child killings with John Rowe, Director of OMO CHILD; Andy Thornton, Former Social Enterprises at Afrikids & COO at Organic Animal Nutrition; and Daniel Newton, Programs Officer at Tostan.

“This past election has ignited a fire in me to get more involved in nearly every social injustice. From those very close to my heart like women’s rights and police brutality, to global warming and press freedom. SIMA RAMA is the perfect platform to help further educate me on these topics through powerful stories from around the globe, while at the same time presenting me with responsible and vetted ways to get involved.” – Sarah H., SIMA RAMA Member

The next SIMA RAMA film opens on September 3rd. Join us to view ONE DAY AFTER PEACE: In an attempt to reconcile the death of her son, an Israeli mother journeys to South Africa to understand how the means used to resolve apartheid can be applied to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

As always, thank you for your invaluable contributions to helping us scale social impact through visual storytelling on a global scale

With warmth and gratitude from all of us at SIMA.