shalini kantayya's blogsphere

solar energy commercial

2009-12-10T13:09:00.001-08:00

my ode to spielberg & healthy food in school

2009-12-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

I survived production with a dozen 7-year old children to pull this off--no small victory. I was astounded to learn what kids are really eating in school & that 1 in 3 U.S. children will develop diabetes. Children having access to healthy food in school is one of the most vital social justice issues of this decade. Take Action at onetray.org

Don't buy this war

2009-12-02T09:12:00.000-08:00

Tell Congress to vote NO.

http://rethinkafghanistan.com/?utm_source=credopetition

Clean Water Innovation

2009-12-01T07:36:00.000-08:00

TEDIndia at 2am

2009-11-30T16:28:00.000-08:00

After three days of inspiration, insomnia, and something like speed dating of innovative ideas, it was close to two in the morning and I was stumbling my way home after the closing night party. On the steps of my dormitory, I found a circle of wayward travelers, attempting karaoke with no karaoke machine. A mishmash of languages, people grouped together to muster the Hindi words to Chole Ki Piche Kya Hai, the Punjabi’s attempted to cover up the missing verses with bhangra, and the Americans retorted with a bittersweet Lean on Me.

TEDIndia highlights

2009-11-30T16:17:00.000-08:00

TED was nerd bliss. A landscape of stories of technology, innovation, and hope.

I pride myself on being a tech geek. And Pranav Mistry is the king of tech geeks. An inventor of new realities, Pranav’s work inspired me to see the world in a new way. My passion for science fiction, for imagining the near future, is fueled by a hope of creating worlds in cinema that reflect and transcend disparity in access to technology, ecology, and social equality. The prototype Pranav developed is ground-breaking work in erasing the line between live reality and cyberspace. And I was awed in his intention to open-source the technology.

Courtesy of TED fellow Sandeep Sood

2009-11-25T16:38:00.001-08:00

video from a DROP of LIFE campus tour

2009-08-13T05:04:00.001-07:00

IMAGINATION

2009-06-01T08:39:00.000-07:00

“Imagination is the closes thing to Compassion, “ Asian American author Amy Tan said about creativity. I love this. As a filmmaker, I am always inspired by the hope and the heartbreak of the human experience. Tan spoke about embracing moral ambiguity instead of over-simplified blanket judgments of absolute good or bad. The films that I most appreciate are the ones that portray characters who are as righteous as they are flawed. (More like most people I know). And the ability to have compassion for our own humanness is at the heart of the creative process.

You can check it out yourself at:
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/amy_tan_on_creativity.html

YOUTH ON FIRE: Water Action Now, Connecticut College

2009-06-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Connecticut College’s student group Water Action Now rules. No, really. They rule. I was so inspired after my screening and talk with them on Friday. Water Action Now working to ban bottled water on their campus, and have done some research to help them figure out what it would take to win the student body over to tap water. In celebration of Earth Week, I had a great discussion with them about how to move people to care. We decided that storytelling was at the heart of inspiring people to make changes is their life-styles and incite larger changes in policy.

A few of the students had come from the global south and shared stories of the water struggles in their homelands. “In my country, we cannot drink from the tap without getting sick,” said a student from Vietnam. “After coming here, I don’t understand why you pay for bottled water when your tap water is clean enough to drink. A Mexican student was nearly in tears when she talked about what had happened to her town’s water supply after multi-national corporations were allowed to operate there following the passing of NAFTA. An Indian student, speaking about the conflict between farmers and Coca Cola said, “There is blood being spilled everyday for water in India.”

But the discussion came closer to home when a Connecticut resident said that her family’s well had been so polluted by a nearby company dispelling toxins that it became unsuitable for drinking. When the family tried to take action, the company asserted that it owned the well that the family had used for generations. The case is still pending in court.

In every community I visit, I am astounded by the many faces of the world water crisis, and by the creativity and resilience of youth on fire to make an impact. The students and I discussed how what it would take for the campus to ban bottled water. They explained that Coca Cola makes a contribution to colleges or universities along with it’s exclusive contract to sell its products on their campus. In a time of recession, the administration had concerns about the financial impact of cutting its contract with Coca Cola. The students are resilient and are coming up with creative solution like installing water spickets in the dorms and making reusable water bottles more affordable and accessible.

I felt so inspired to witness the tangible difference these students are making in the world, starting with themselves. The journey to save an ocean begins with a single drop…

a DROP of LIFE at Northeastern University

2009-06-01T08:33:00.000-07:00

The a DROP of LIFE campus tour kicked off at Northeastern University in Boston, in partnership with the Progressive Students Association and Utsav, the South Asian organization on campus. I hadn’t been to Boston since the 6th grade field trip to the Science Museum, and I found it to be a very beautiful New England city.

I was especially excited to be joined by my partners at the Think Outside the Bottle Campaign at Corporate Accountability International. They are doing such fabulous work to keep corporations accountable to citizens and governments. Think Outside the Bottle is leading the movement to boycott bottled water nationally. I was so grateful to have such a knowledgeable team of experts based locally at the event.

Often, after screening a DROP of LIFE, audiences look at me as if I should have all the solutions to the world water crisis. As an artist, I certainly don’t have all the answers, but hope that my work will spark the right questions. I love to work in collaboration with grassroots movements because I believe it is these relationships enable a film to make real social change.

Following my screening and keynote, we had a lively discussion about water issues in the United States, youth activism, and fighting apathy. I learned that Northeastern University’s Law Department has already banned bottled water on campus. I also learned that it is illegal to collect rainwater in Colorodo.

SCI-FI FOREVER: SLEEP DEALER IN THEATERS APRIL 17th

2009-04-20T06:14:00.000-07:00

I love sci-fi. From Bladerunner to Star Wars, I have always believed in its ability to powerfully reflect the realities that we live in today.

I was so excited to see my dear friend Alex Rivera’s film “SLEEP DEALER,” open in the theaters last weekend on Friday, April 17th.

It’s a science-fiction, but has nothing do to with space aliens, or cops who shoot robots, but about the future of the conflicts over water in Mexico and the U.S.

SLEEP DEALER is a film of ideas – and it looks at the future from a perspective never seen before: from south of the border, looking at America from the outside.

A.O. Scott of The New York Times says: SLEEP DEALER is "Exuberantly entertaining -- a dystopian fable of globalization disguised as a science-fiction adventure...."

SLEEP DEALER is a thriller filled with lush visuals and big ideas about the future of war, immigration, the environment, and the border.

There’s more information here: http://sleepdealer.com and reviews and stills from the film below.

As we all, know, audiences can determine the future of a film. I’m wondering if you’d like to go or organize a group to support this film – and in the process support the idea of a more wild, diverse, and relevant cinema?

Again – the opening is this weekend for a one-week limited release starting Friday April 17th, in Los Angeles and New York.

Hope to see you there!

---
The New York Times
Exuberantly entertaining -- a dystopian fable of globalization disguised as a science-fiction adventure.... Mr. Rivera — a brilliant young director — takes his audience into a future of “aqua-terrorism” and cyberlabor that I wish I could dismiss as implausible.
-A.O. Scott

WIRED MAGAZINE
...impressive, eye-opening...a timely message, deftly delivered... like Blade Runner and other big-brained sci-fi flicks, it's about ideas... Sleep Dealer serves up a radical vision of a troubling tomorrow...
-Jason Silverman

INDIEWIRE
A dazzling journey! True originality and artistic verve!

“Sleep Dealer” is a film with something to say about humanity and its relationship with technology. This sense of humanity, more than its numerous mind-blowing fantasy images is what ultimately sets “Sleep Dealer” apart.
-Steve Ramos

PAPER MAGAZINE
Brilliant and bizarre-ass... A stellar moment in independent filmmaking!
-Rebecca Carroll

THE GUARDIAN OF LONDON
... Rivera revives the promise of an American independent cinema that can intervene in our world, imagine the worst, hope for the best - and entertain like mad along the way.
-B. Ruby Rich

The New York Times
“Sleep Dealer” taps into the cultural and economic fears that have come with a globalized planet... For all its newfangled trappings “Sleep Dealer” reasserts a narrative as old as this country...
-Dennis Lim

Launch of a DROP of LIFE Campus Tour

2009-04-11T13:32:00.001-07:00

To mark World Water Day, I am launching the a DROP of LIFE Campus Tour, to bring attention to the world water crisis. Designated in 1992 by a United Nations General Assembly resolution, World Water Day is an international observance and call to action to bring attention to the problem of insufficient access to clean, safe drinking water. Using my film a DROP of LIFE as a spark to inspire discussions about the world water crisis, the tour celebrates World Water Day, Earth Day, Women’s History Month, and Asian American History Month.

The tour kicks of screenings and discussions at:

April 8, 2009 Northeastern University Boston, MA
April 15, 2009 Wesleyan University Middleton, CT
April 17, 2009 Connecticut College New London, CT
April 24, 2009 Ithaca College Ithaca, NY

With my key partners such as Water for All and Think Outside the Bottle, I aim to engage a new generation in a large-scale environmental movement.

WATER IS LIFE.

“If the wars of the twentieth century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water.” (Ismail Serageldin, Vice President of the World Bank)

The truth is simple and terrifying. By 2027, one-half to two-thirds of the world's population, an estimated 4 billion people, will not have access to clean drinking water. This is a crisis without borders. Individuals and corporations are over-consuming at such a rate that every species on the planet is in danger. And as Maude Barlow points out, “As demand rapidly exceeds supply, corporations are vying to buy water resources and sell them, like any other commodity, to the highest bidder. “

WATER IS A HUMAN RIGHT.

The United Nations and the World Bank have classified water as a human need, not a human right. This classification makes water a commodity subject to trade. It is already happening. At the recent World Water Forum in Istanbul, Turkey, legislation was drafted to give rivers, lakes and ponds to corporations. Until now, corporations only ran water distribution services. Now they may "own" bodies of water. So begins a new era in the privatization of water.

EVERY DROP MAKES A DIFFERENCE

In celebration of World Water day, here are a few of some of our favorite resources in H20:

Just Do Something:

a DROP of LIFE Take Action
http://www.adropoflife.tv/takeaction.html

Take the Think Outside the Bottle Pledge
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2215/t/8100/petition.jsp?petition_KEY=1410

Water for All
http://waterforall.org/

Tell your Governor to Think Outside the Bottle
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/2215/t/8036/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=440

Narmada Bachao Andolan
http://www.narmada.org/

Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition
http://www.iuowfilm.com

Learn more:

Democracy Now: Special on the World Water Forum
http://i1.democracynow.org/2009/3/23/water_rights_activists_blast_istanbul_world

Democracy Now: Narmada Activist Medha Patkar on Dams in India
http://www.democracynow.org/2009/3/23/dam_politics_indias_leading_activist_medha

H20 Calculator
http://www.h2oconserve.org/home.php?pd=index

Circle of Blue
http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/about/

Buy Blue
http://astore.amazon.com/adrofli-20

2009-04-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

The Bluest Candidate

2008-10-01T10:26:00.000-07:00

I am really worried about this election. It is one of the most critical events of our lifetimes. I wondered which candidate will protect our most vital right to clean drinking water from our taps. Who is the “bluest” candidate?

So I did some research:

Obama
• Voted against offshore drilling.
• Supported full funding for the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, approved the Energy Act 2007, and co-sponsored the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act.
• Restored wetlands and the Great Lakes by passing the Great Lakes Collaboration Implementation Act and Wetlands Protection Act.
• Supports federal policies to encourage voluntary water banks, wastewater treatment, market-based conservation measures, and improved conservation technology.

McCain
• Supports offshore drilling a practice that will negatively impact the ocean’s ecosystem and could lead to toxic chemicals like mercury and lead to be discharged into the ocean.
• Voted against restoring funding for the civil works programs to support the Federal Water Pollution Control Revolving Fund, the National Park Service, the National Forest Service, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
• Wanted to renegotiate the 1922 Colorado River Act which would take water from Colorado’s basins and distribute it to lower states such as his home town of Arizona, but changed his position after a large backlash from Coloradans.
• Supports dialogue among the states in water disputes in a manner that is consistent with existing agreements, but does not support a nationwide effort.

The voting record is clear. Obama is more likely to protect our human right to clean, affordable drinking water for all. Something to think about with the lifeline to register to vote just around the corner on October 6th....

A Dream Reborn

2008-05-07T14:06:00.001-07:00

Recently, spent a crazy weekend in Memphis at the Dream Reborn Conference. So inspiring to see thousands of young people across the country come together for solutions. Even as a human rights activist, for so many years there was this huge disconnect between the environmental movement and the social justice movement. I mean, I live in Brooklyn. I walk on concrete. My food comes from the bodega. What could I possibly have to do with the environment? Then 10,000 MTA workers go on strike or there is a blackout or a drought in NYC, and I realize that I don't live inside a machine. Even megacities are part of a very fragile eco-system. We are the environment & the everyday choices we make affect one another so intimately.

One of the most powerful images I've ever seen was a global map who emits CO2s and who suffers from its grave effects (hurricanes, tsunamis, etc). It's alarming. It looks like a colonial map from the 1800s. It's eco-apartheid.

In the midst of a mounting crisis, it was really invigorating to see a growing movement of people using green solutions to lift people out of poverty. The health of the planet and its people is so intimately connected.

This movement is kinda hot. Check them out at www.greenforall.org.

Rockin' Sustainability From the Ground Up

2008-02-05T11:10:00.000-08:00

SHIFTING FOCUS:

Today, there is no water running from the taps in Mumbai. Today, we used the water we stored yesterday. Suddenly, sustainability is not such an abstract concept.

Living between the bustling metropolises of New York City and Mumbai, it’s sometimes easy for me to forget my dependency on the earth for survival. It took 35,000 transit workers to go on strike, a power outage, and a citywide drought to inspire a simple truth: I don’t live inside a machine. Cities have their own very fragile urban eco-systems, which I am intimately a part of. I am the environment. We are the environment. And the choices we make affect the entire eco-system. I have come to believe that the world is not transformed by big grandiose actions, but by the small ordinary choices we make everyday.

When I first met Kavitha Rao at a retreat for young leaders convened by Youth for Envirionmental Sanity (YES!), Kavitha dazzled me with her contagious giggle, her knowledge of ecological systems, and her commitment to live with integrity. When she first shared the vision of Common Fire, it was nothing more than a dream.

I could hardly imagine, just four years later, that I would stand overlooking over 25 acres of forever-wild conservation land, at the Common Fire Housing Co-op. The greenest building in the Northeast, the Co-op was awarded a Platinum rating by the US Green Building Council; the 3,600-square-foot home uses 50 percent less energy than the average home of its size due to features such as geothermal heating, cellulose insulation, and Solatube skylights. Kavita Rao and her partner, Jeff Golden, founded the co-op to create a space in which individuals working for social change can support and learn from one another while practicing a lifestyle consistent with their values.

What amazed me most about Common Fire was its ability to set a model. I took a tour and found out that it is possible to supply all of your energy onsite, to cook on magnetic fields, to use toilets that consume less water. It was clear that there was a mindfulness that penetrated every choice in the construction of their living environment. The structure of Common Fire demonstrates that there are more sustainable ways to live in the world. And while not all of us can live in the Co-op, we can make small changes in our lifestyles that have impact.

SK: What does "sustainability" mean to you?

KR: It's personal. [Sustainability means] taking time for ourselves, for whatever practices spiritual or otherwise, that help to ground us again and again in our truth so we can engage in the world from a place of love and creative action rather than simply anger and reaction.

It's environmental. It means recognizing our impact on the planet...on the plants and animals and ecosystems that don't have a voice in our decisions. How can we sustain the rich diversity and health of the planet for generations to come?

It's social. Every issue that can be boxed in to "environmentalism" has social consequences. I want to move us to a way of being where we recognize the far-reaching implications of our actions, of our decisions...

SK: What is the vision of Common Fire?

KR: Creating housing co-ops, actual physical spaces, that provide a nurturing home for people who are intentionally choosing to use their lives to create positive change. Our first project was creating the Hudson Valley Housing Co-op...it's currently home to 9 people, ranging in ages from 19-62 years, working in fields like organic farming, legal aid for immigrant worker rights, anti-bias education, the effects of globalization on the economies of Latin America, working with special needs children, and more. [It is also] a place to hold youth programs/camps as well as retreats for people doing critical work in the world.

SK: What are some of the challenges you faced in building Common Fire? How
did you over come them?

We need to start creating new alternatives… with our first project, the Hudson Valley Housing Co-op, it was difficult just getting the zoning, loans, and insurance as a non-profit. [It was also challenging] to learn about all the aspects of green building and to then find contractors willing to work with new products and new techniques. Trying to do work that is means to ends consistent...work that from the ground up holds your vision and values, is really challenging, but it's a must.

We didn't set out to build the "Greenest Building in the Eastern United States.” We set out to create a haven to nurture people doing critical work in the community, most people know us for the green building. We have discovered that green building is really important...the decisions people make about new buildings and renovations have far reaching implications for land use, energy, pollution, waste, etc. BUT we don't want to spend all of our energy on this green building. It was never what our organization was fundamentally about...it just came as a result of trying to build with integrity and have means to ends consistency.

How do you think small, everyday lifestyle choices can make social change?

In so many ways. We live in a disposable world and that affects us all. If we start to think about the ecosystems or the indigenous peoples displaced to clear cut forests to make disposable products, if we start to think about the landfills and the horrible health affects caused by infested water and air to the communities surrounding landfills, if we start to think about the horrible pesticides and hormones and suffering that goes in to our factory farmed meat and dairy products or the poor workers, often women and children, getting paid pennies to pick our coffee or other commodities, then we start to question our disposable quick meals to go and our cup of coffee on the run. And when we start to question these quick fixes, we also start to realize that they are not good for our bodies either. We realize that the rushing and the stress don't help us. We can start to celebrate slowing down, planning our days so we can, sit and take a break or bring food with us that nourishes our bodies and our souls and fuels us for all we want to be in the world.

Once we start a process of trying to be more mindful, the effects are infinite. We realize our connection to the rest of the planet, we feel more alive, more awake in our interactions, our work, our relations.

In a capitalistic world with no limits to corporate growth, recognizing the power of how we spend our dollars is huge. So much of the social change we wish to create becomes possible when we tell the corporations clearly NO. NO we will not continue to accept child or sweatshop labor just so we can buy t-shirts for $2.

SK: What are a few things that all of us can do to become more responsible consumers?

KR: First and foremost: Consume less. And what you need to consume, learn about.

Kavitha Rao is the co-founder of Common Fire, which seeks to build a diverse and powerful movement of people with a shared commitment of creating a more just and sustainable world, starting with themselves. You can learn more about Kavitha’s work at www.commonfire.org.

FILMS ON WATER

2007-10-01T08:02:00.000-07:00

The journey to make A DROP OF LIFE began in India during January 2001 when I spent two months making a documentary film about the Maha Kumbha Mela, a festival in which tens of millions come to bathe in the holy confluence of three rivers. In ancient cultures like India, water is revered as a life-giving mother goddess, infused with the power to sustain life and purify the soul. I was moved by faith in water as sacred and as a common responsibility for the preservation of life.

As I became aware of the mounting global water crisis, I realized that it represented a clash of cultures—between a culture that values water as a shared sacred resource and a corporate culture that regards water as a commodity to be bought and sold. According to the World Bank and the United Nations, water is a human need and not a human right. This distinction clarifies that water can be sold for money while no one can sell a human right. After living many years between India and America, I wondered how water conflicts in the future will affect the already vast disparities between the “First World” and “Third World.” A DROP OF LIFE aims to convey the growing life-threatening divide between people who can afford this vital resource and those who cannot.

The more I researched and read about water, the more I became convinced of what Ismail Serageldin, vice president of the World Bank predicted about the future of war. “If the wars of the twentieth century were fought over oil, the wars of the next century will be fought over water.” I found the statistics alarming: between one-half and two-thirds of the world’s population will not have access to drinking water by the year 2027. The water meter in A DROP OF LIFE was originally created to show a frightening future we are headed towards unless we change our ways. But then I learned that this frightening future, a world in which water is reserved for only those who can afford it, exists today. The science-fiction water meters I had imagined already exist in South Africa, Brazil, and impoverished areas of the United States.

This “coincidence” has affirmed my belief that this story has the power to move, inspire, and mobilize people to act on this critical issue. A DROP OF LIFE emerged from a desire to bring attention to this crisis on which all life depends.

This is a sampling of my works on water.

my favorite star wars spoof...

2007-09-05T16:20:00.001-07:00

I may be one of the biggest star wars fans of all time. I am amazed that this film, first made in 1976, has made such an impact all over the world. I am dazzled by epic myths, by the hero's journey, by stories that have lived for two thousand years and continue to have to have meaning for each generation. Star Wars is such a story.

I met the makers of this film at the Storyfied Conference, held at the Shambala Center in Colorodo. The conference brought together futurists, mythologists, scientists, and moviemakers to weave the story for the next millenium. This is my favorite Star Wars spoof, and that is saying alot. From the makers of the meatrix. Enjoy...

Doctor-in-Law

2007-08-24T11:41:00.001-07:00

This is a film I made On The Lot. I hope it gives you the giggles.

meet Bryant Terry

2007-08-06T20:25:00.001-07:00

Meet my boy Bryant.

If the stomach is the way to the heart, then you’ll fall instantly in love with chef, food justice activist, and author, Bryant Terry. Bryant is founding director of B-Healthy (Building Healthy Eating and Lifestyles to Help Youth). And if you want his extra fabulous Valentine’s Day menu, you’ll have buy his latest book, GRUB: ideas for an urban
I caught up w/Bryant, and we chatted about one thing I think we all enjoy--food.

SK: In GRUB, you have created some mouthwatering menus. What is the power of food in our daily lives?

BT: I would argue that food is one of the most important things in our daily lives. Everyone eats.

SK: What moved you to become a food justice activist? What is the
relationship between food and justice?

BT: When I finished graduate school, I saw a crisis in low-income communities that arose from lack of access to grub. I was troubled that most of the organizations did not have programs that addressed food justice issues, given that many of the youth were in some way affected by lack of access to grub.

So I started to teach myself more about the effects of corporate control of food and the globalization of agriculture and became radical in my desire to create positive change in our food system. Over the past five years, I have committed myself to feeding people; illuminating the connections between poverty, malnutrition, and institutional racism; and working to create a more just and sustainable food system for everyone.

SK: What transformations have you witnessed in the youth you work with?

BT: The most exciting thing about working with young people in b-healthy is seeing how quickly they become invested in shifting their relationship with food once they learn what is at stake.

SK: What kinds of challenges have you faced with your work, and how did you overcome them?

BT: One of the biggest challenges in my work is changing people’s perceptions about the real and imagined higher costs of eating more healthfully. When people argue that it’s too expensive to eat more healthfully, my tongue-in-cheek response is “you pay now, or you pay later." Yes it is true that eating healthfully can be more expensive, but it’s not about doing an item-by-item comparison. We must consider the bigger picture.

It is important that people realize that industrial food is artificially cheap. Most people don’t know about the hidden costs of industrial food. When we think about what we are paying out of our pockets in taxes to support industrial agriculture, when we think about the damage being done to our environment by industrial farming and the cost to clean it up, when we think about the emotional and monetary costs of having sick loved ones, that extra 30cents per pound for tomatoes that you buy at the farmer’s market does not seem that expensive anymore.

So in Grub, we educate readers about additional sources fore getting healthy food (like farmer’s markets, food coops, Community Supported Agriculture). When we support these sources, not only do we get less expensive healthy food, we also build community, support local economies, and often connect directly with the individuals growing our food.

SK: What about your work gives you hope for the future?

BT: Witnessing young people working around food and farming issues gives me a lot of hope that we can truly build a more just and sustainable food system. From the Civil Rights Movement in the US to the Anti-Apartheid Movement in South Africa, youth have been instrumental in creating positive change throughout the 20th century. I firmly believe that young people will be in the forefront of one of the most hopeful movements of the 21st century—food justice.

Learn more about Bryant’s work at www.eatgrub.org.

Brooklyn-based Shalini Kantayya, filmmaker, educator, and activist uses film/video as a tool to educate, inspire, and empower audiences. Learn more about her work at www.adropoflife.tv.

SHIFTING FOCUS

2007-08-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Nineteen and wide-eyed, I remember the low deep throated-chant of 800 Tibetan monks praying. I was in the South Indian village of Bylakuppe, one of the thirteen villages that India had gifted the Tibetan refugees. And before I knew aperture or iris, I knew there were experiences that I could not express in words. That was the moment I fell in love with images, and began to put imaginary picture frames on everything I saw. I discovered vision in a new way.

My love for the image was just that - impulsive, passionate, all-encompassing and without reason. But my love for visual storytelling also became integrated with my love for human rights. I have always been inspired by stories of ordinary people who overcome seemingly insurmountable hardships. As the media becomes increasingly corporate-controlled, I believe that telling these stories is absolutely critical. Frustrated with consolidation of power in six media conglomerates, I founded 7th Empire Media, with the mission of bringing a voice to the unheard through media.

Over the last ten years, my adventure as an independent filmmaker, educator, and activist has given me the opportunity travel the world in pursuit of a story. On my sojourn, I have had the privilege of meeting many young people blazing trails and creating new ways to live in the world. From the women’s handicraft cooperatives in India to the greenest building in the Northeastern United States, and I want to share some of the amazing people I've met along the way...