Stanford filmmakers to debut documentary at TEDxChange

A documentary by filmmakers in the Program in Bioethics and Film at Stanford will be presented as part of the TEDxChange conference next week.

Titled The Revolutionary Optimist, the film was directed and produced by Maren Grainger-Monsen, MD, and Nicole Newnham. Grainger-Monsen and Newnham received a grant (.pdf) from the Sundance Institute and Skoll Foundation to produce the film.

The piece tells the story of a lawyer-turned-social entrepreneur working to empower children living in Calcutta’s poorest neighborhood to become leaders in improving health and sanitation. The story of the children’s successful drive to increase polio immunization rates in their community is the focus of the TEDxChange version of the documentary.

TEDxChange kicks off with a live Webcast at 8:00 a.m. PDT on Monday. The film will be available via the Gates Foundation and Sundance Institute websites.

Photo by Maren Grainger-Monsen