REVISED: Another example of the power of film! (from D.S.)

[Rachel Galvin]

Sunday night, Slumdog Millionaire swept it's way into motion picture history with a staggering eight oscar wins. What was even more amazing than the success the film enjoyed at the ceremony were the images I watched the next day showing how a crowd of people from the real slums of Mumbai, India - where two of the child actors in "Slumdog" live - were gathered around a television, cheering for each successive win. In interviews with the children's mother, she explained that it was considered miraculous by the residents there because now the world could see what their life is like. Thanks to the film, a school has been developed in that slum and the child actors have a grant waiting for them upon confirmation of their graduation from the school.

This was such a wonderful moment for me to watch because it reminded me of why I want to be a filmmaker. This is why I went to film school and why I love the movies so much in the first place. In the century since motion pictures were born and came to prominence, they've evolved to so much more than mere entertainment. Film is not only a legitimate art form, it's a chance to communicate ideas to other cultures and make the world aware of problems they otherwise may not have been aware of. Film can change lives.

Here are some other notable examples of what a difference motion pictures have made over the years:

- The Day After. Probably the most chilling and powerful film ever made about nuclear war. Still ranks as one of the highest rated television events in the history of the medium. World leaders have repeatedly dropped the name of this film as a primary motivator as to why they strive for nuclear disarmament.

- The Thin Blue Line: A documentary film which studies the case of a police officer shot to death years ago. Thanks to the insights provided by the filmmakers' examination of existing evidence, the case was reopened and the man who was imprisoned many years for the crime was exonerated and released.

- Rambo. Yeah, you read that right. The 2008 film. Sounds ridiculous to think that "Rambo" could impact someones life..but it did. The film places John Rambo in the middle of the very real Burmese conflict, where villagers are being systematically slaughtered by an oppressive government, often because they have chosen to embrace Christianity. We're talking about a genocide which has continued for almost sixty years. Not only did Stallone's film increase public awareness of the situation in Burma, but not long after the release, it was confirmed that the real life Karen rebels (who are the freedom fighters opposing the government in that region) had obtained bootlegs of the film and were copying them and passing them out to their various groups, using the film as a inspiration to keep fighting the tyranny.

Slumdog Millionaire now joins this list, once again proving that film can transcend mere box office receipts. It can actually open the lines of communication between people from different regions in the world and by doing so bring them closer together. I hope to be a part of that one day.