Short Films about Women Changemakers to released by Netflix and I&B Ministry

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 26 April 2022

The information and broadcasting ministry and Netflix on Tuesday launched short films about seven outstanding women, ranging from a mountaineer who conquered Mount Everest twice in the same season to India's first woman firefighter, as part of the 75th anniversary celebrations. The short films on'seven changemakers,' released by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur here, also mark the start of the ministry's collaboration with Netflix, which will produce a series of short films titled 'Azadi ki Amrit Kahaniya' on a variety of topics including women's empowerment, environment, and sustainable development.

"Netflix will produce 25 to 30 two-minute short films for the ministry which will be shared on social media platforms and telecast on the Doordarshan network," Thakur told a press conference which was also attended by Bela Bajaria, head of global TV, Netflix.

To commemorate India's 75th year of independence, Thakur urged Bajaria to expand the number of short films from 25 to 75.

He also stated that the government will work with Netflix to establish a creative ecosystem by hosting training programmes in post-production, visual effects, animation, and music creation across the country.

Basanti Devi, an award-winning environmentalist who played a key role in the revitalization of the Kosi river in Uttarakhand, Anshu Jamsenpa, the first woman to scale Mount Everest twice in the same season, and Harshini Kanhekar, India's first lady firefighter, Poonam Nautiyal, a healthcare worker who walked miles across Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand to vaccinate everyone; Tessy Thomas, India's first female missile project director; Tanvi Jagadish, India's first competitive woman stand-up paddleboarder; and Aarohi Pandit, the world's youngest and first woman pilot to cross the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans solo in a light-sport aircraft are among the'seven changemakers' featured in the short films released on Tuesday.

"Netflix's commitment to India is strong and growing and we will continue to find the country's finest stories and share them across the globe", Bajaria said.

A deeper partnership, including a long-running series on the liberation movement, is also in the works, according to Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra.