Celebrating Stories of Change

Global issues demand innovative solutions, and documentary film is increasingly showcasing the unprecedented efforts of social-issue change makers around the world. At this special discussion event celebrating the five-year partnership between Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and the Skoll Foundation, Skoll President and CEO Sally Osberg moderates a thought-provoking dialogue among award-winning filmmakers—including clips from their work—and innovators who are impacting millions. Invited panelists include Joia Mukherjee (chief medical officer at Partners in Health), Kief Davidson (Untitled Global Health Documentary), Jehane Noujaim (Control Room), and Bunker Roy (founder of Barefoot College).

Dr. Mukherjee is an associate professor at both Harvard Medical School and the Division of Global Health Equity at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Mukherjee has been involved in healthcare access and human-rights issues for more than 20 years. Since 2000, she has served as the chief medical officer of Partners in Health, an international medical nonprofit with clinical programs in Haiti, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Lesotho, Peru, Mexico, Russia, Kazakhstan, and inner-city Boston.

Kief Davidson is an award-winning feature film and documentary director, whose latest film Kassim the Dream, about a former child soldier turned boxing champion, premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival and won more than 10 international film festival awards. Kief has directed and produced documentaries for the Discovery Channel, ABC News, PBS, ARTE, and A&E.

Jehane Noujaim is an award-winning director and producer (Control Room, Startup.com, Shayfeen.com) and 2006 TED Prize winner. She founded Pangea Day,which was broadcast internationally; featured films, speakers, and music; and can be watched online at www.pangeaday.org. Together with Mona Eldaief, she is codirecting Solar Momas, a feature-length documentary chronicling the experience of three Barefoot College students.

Bunker Roy was moved to respond to India’s 1967 famine and traveled to Tilonia, Rajasthan, to help rural villagers improve their lives. The organization he founded in 1972, Social Work and Research Centre, which came to be known as Barefoot College, has trained hundreds of solar engineers and teachers—women, dropouts, and unemployable youth—in remote villages in 16 Indian states over the past 30 years.