Cinema goes beyond the big screen to create impact in the real world. Leading figures of social impact cinema gathered at The Home of The Human Safety Net to discuss the power of storytelling as a cultural catalyst for generating leadership, impact, and social change.
The second edition of Lights! Camera! Impact! was organised marking the 81st Venice International Film Festival and as part of the Impact Leaders agenda, the international conference of Impact Europe, which brought together over 100 leaders to discuss impact investing in Europe.
The event, which featured conversations, screenings, and workshops, opened with a panel between the award-winning Bosnian director Jasmila Žbanić (Quo Vadis Aida?), the renowned Hollywood director Stephen Gyllenhaal, and Anadil Hossain, curator of Lights! Camera! Impact!. The debate continued with director Yasemin Samderelli (Samia), award-winning screenwriter Misan Sagay (Belle), and Amy Shepherd from Think Film, who launched the Impact Award at the Venice Biennale, to explore how cinema can leverage creativity and effective storytelling to address some of the most pressing social issues of our time.
As part of the programme activities, The Human Safety Net put together a workshop "Cultural Shifts: Storytelling Superpower" dedicated to impact industry professionals and cinema enthusiasts who came together to explore potential areas of collaboration and to analyse the challenges and opportunities within the sector. While the discussion on "Planting Seeds for Generational Impact: The Power of Storytelling to Create Cultural and Systemic Change" focused on early childhood development, a central theme in The Human Safety Net's programs, exploring how organizations working in early childhood development, parenting, and education have harnessed the power of media and pop culture through creative initiatives and partnerships. Among the speakers were two-time Emmy Award-winning producer Scott Cameron (Sesame Workshop), cultural strategist, narrative change expert, and multimedia producer Ishita Srivastava from the FrameWorks Institute, Margie de Koning, artistic director of Movies That Matter, and business strategy and brand development expert Christopher Keefe from Impact Guild.
"Being in the heart of Venice during one of the world's most prestigious film festivals is a wonderful opportunity to recognize the power of culture to heal, inspire, and promote change," emphasized Anadil Hossain, curator of the *Lights! Camera! Impact!* programme. "Additionally, this year's collaboration between The Human Safety Net and Impact Europe has been crucial in bringing together leaders in philanthropy and storytellers to find new paths for collaboration—a unique opportunity at a critical time for the industry."
