Netflix, I&B ministry release short films on women changemakers

From a mountaineer who scaled Mount Everest twice in the same season to India's first woman firefighter, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and Netflix on Tuesday launched short films on seven-inspiring women as part of the celebrations to mark the 75th year of Independence.

The short films on 'seven changemakers' — released by Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur — also mark the beginning of a collaboration of the ministry with Netflix, which will produce a series of short films titled Azadi ki Amrit Kahaniya on diverse themes, 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.

Thakur also nudged Bajaria to increase the number of short films from 25-30 to 75 to mark the 75th anniversary of India's independence.

He said the ministry will also collaborate with Netflix to develop a creative ecosystem by organising training programmes for post-production, VFX, animation, and music production, among others, across the country.

The short films released on Tuesday feature 'seven changemakers', including Basanti Devi, the award-winning environmentalist who played a key role in the revitalisation of the Kosi river in Uttarakhand, Anshu Jamsenpa, the first woman in the world to scale Mount Everest twice in the same season, and Harshini Kanhekar, India's first lady firefighter.

The films also feature Poonam Nautiyal, a healthcare worker who walked miles across the Bageshwar district in Uttarakhand to vaccinate everyone; Tessy Thomas, the first woman scientist to head a missile project in India; 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 Ocean and the Pacific Ocean solo in a light-sport aircraft.

"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.

Information and Broadcasting Secretary Apurva Chandra said a deeper collaboration featuring a long-running series on the freedom struggle is also in the pipeline.