Room to Read, a global education nonprofit dedicated to combatting illiteracy and gender inequality around the globe, today announced a partnership with Warner Bros. Discovery for the premiere of She Creates Change, a pioneering nonprofit-led animation and live-action film project to promote gender equality through the stories of young women around the world.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, the film series will premiere on Friday March 8, 15 and 22 to audiences in Asia. 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.
Presented in a series of six animated shorts with accompanying live-action mini documentaries, She Creates Change features the narratives of six courageous 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.
“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,” said Dr. Geetha Murali, CEO of Room to Read. “We’re honored to partner with a media company that shares our commitment to the creation and distribution of quality multimedia content that can help girls develop skills, identify accessible role models and catalyze the dignity girls need to overcome limiting gender norms.”
She Creates Change is backed by a women-led creative team with executive producers Dr. Geetha Murali, Brenda Chapman (Brave), Jill Culton (Abominable), Freida Pinto (Mr. Malcom’s List) and BAFTA and Emmy-winning entertainment studio Nexus Studios. Emmy-winner Martha Adams (Girl Rising) served as series director and alongside Ian Blei, as series producer.
Animation was directed by a diverse group of women directors curated by Nexus Studios, including AACTA nominee Bonnie Taylor Forsyth, Claudia Chinyere Akole, Hannah Lau-Walker, Neeraja Raj, Prashanti Aswani and Best Animated Short Oscar nominee Siqi Song. Moonshine Pictures led live-action production with production support by Cineflix Media Inc.
Episodes feature voice performances by Freida Pinto, Charithra Chandran, Prajakta Koli, Dilshad Vadsaria, Adhir Kalyan, Amita Suman, Amrita Acharia and Quyen Ngo. 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.
She Creates Change has been recognized as an official selection of Tribeca Festival (Tribeca X Award), Manchester Animation Festival (Best Short Film for Children), London Short Film Festival and the British Animation Awards (2024 Audience Award). The series will premiere as a feature length film as an official selection of the SXSW EDU Film Program on March 5.
She Creates Change was made possible with generous support from the Troper Wojcicki Foundation, Comic Relief US and Tatcha.
The release of She Creates Change aligns with the launch of Room to Read’s flagship fundraising campaign, You Create Change, with a goal of raising $10 million to support girls’ education and gender equality through Room to Read’s programs.
Through She Creates Change — which includes books and audio stories in addition to the film series — Room to Read seeks to support all adolescent girls in the world with content that equips and inspires them to create positive change in their lives and communities. Curriculum packages that align with the stories presented, based on Room to Read’s comprehensive Girls’ Education Program curriculum, will be provided online, through broadcast media and in-person programming.
