Warner Bros. Discovery and Room to Read have partnered on “She Creates Change,” an animation and live-action film project to promote gender equality through the stories of young women around the world.
Room to Read is a global education nonprofit aiming to creating a world free from illiteracy and gender inequality. Presented in a series of six animated shorts with accompanying live-action mini-documentaries, “She Creates Change” features the narratives of six young women from historically low-income communities in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Vietnam. Episodes portray how each girl confronts challenges unique to her life — such as harassment, food scarcity or early marriage — by advocating for herself and her future.
Episodes feature voice performances by Freida Pinto (“Slumdog Millionaire”), Charithra Chandran (“Bridgerton”), Prajakta Koli (“Mismatched”), Dilshad Vadsaria (“Cloak & Dagger”), Adhir Kalyan (“United States of AI”), Amita Suman (“Shadow and Bone”), Amrita Acharia (“Game of Thrones”) and Quyen Ngo (“American Prerequisite”).
The project is backed by a women-led creative team with executive producers Geetha Murali, Brenda Chapman (“Brave”), Jill Culton (“Abominable”), Pinto and Nexus Studios. Martha Adams (“Girl Rising”) served as series director and alongside Ian Blei, as series producer. Moonshine Pictures led live-action production with support by Cineflix Media Inc. Animation was directed by a group of women directors, including Bonnie Taylor Forsyth, Claudia Chinyere Akole, Hannah Lau-Walker, Neeraja Raj, Prashanti Aswani and Siqi Song. Karun Mungai performs the original song “Who I Am” written by Warsan Shire and composed by Lucie Treacher. Sound and music production was provided by Brain Audio.
The film narrated by Chandran follows Keya, from Bangladesh, who is struggling with harassment from boys for wanting to go to school and for speaking her mind. Through various Room to Read programs, she gains knowledge of her local legal system, advocacy and standing up for herself. She passes on her knowledge to many young women like herself.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the film series will premiere on March 8, 15 and 22 to audiences in Asia.
“Don’t apologize for your ambition. And always be an advocate for yourself. No one believes in you, no one’s going to root for you. No one’s going to advocate for you better than yourself. So don’t apologize for both wanting more, and asking for more,” Chandran said in a message to women and young girls for International Women’s Day. “So many experiences, because we don’t talk about it can be super isolating. I would love for young girls to realize that there is a community and they can find community and build community amongst each other.”
“I’d also really love for young boys and men to watch the film and the shorts and realize the role that they can play in helping their sisters and their daughters,” Chandran added.
Koli said: “As the voice of Dewmini, a character deeply rooted in climate advocacy and girls’ education and empowerment, I am profoundly honored to be part of ‘She Creates Change.’ This film beautifully captures the diverse journeys of young girls from various regions, emphasizing the pivotal role of education in shaping their futures. Every girl deserves access to quality education and the chance to flourish. Through Dewmini’s narrative, intertwined with themes of climate advocacy, we aim to spark meaningful conversations and drive action towards ensuring every girl’s right to education. I am proud to contribute to such a impactful project and look forward to audiences experiencing these compelling stories on International Women’s Day.”
“Room to Read’s partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery accelerates the goal of ‘She Creates Change’ to reach all 432 million adolescent girls in the world with inspiring and informative content. As girls see other young women, who face challenges similar to their own, use their skills and knowledge to shape their futures, they too will discover avenues to harness their own power and potential,” added Geetha Murali, CEO of Room to Read.
“She Creates Change” has support from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation, Comic Relief U.S. and Tatcha. Episodes will air on the Discovery Asia channel in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam, and on the TLC and Discovery+ India channels in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.
