“The Revolutionary Optimists,” a film which was part of the Skoll Foundation/Sundance Stories of Change, was nominated for a 2014 Emmy in the category “Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting, Long Form.” The News & Documentary Emmy Awards will be presented on Sept. 30 in New York City.
A synopsis:
Children are saving lives in the slums of Calcutta. Amlan Ganguly doesn’t rescue children; he empowers them to become change agents, battling poverty and transforming their neighborhoods with dramatic results. “The Revolutionary Optimists” follows Amlan and the children he works with – Shika, Salim, Kajal and Priyanka – on an intimate journey through adolescence, as they bravely fight the forces that oppress them. Using street theater, dance, and data as their weapons, the children have mounted vaccination drives to close the final mile with polio vaccination, turned garbage dumps into playing fields, and conducted education campaigns that have resulted in a significant drop in malaria and diarrhea in their neighborhood. Through intimate footage with the children, we witness not only the changes they are able to make in their neighborhood, but also the changes in the kids themselves.
