(Picture from Media For Development)

I've lately been becoming more interested in how journalistic documentary work and multimedia can help tell the stories of international development, advance social progress, educate, entertain and make money at the same time. There are great examples sprouting up such as Film Your Issue, and Witness. I've been brainstorming some of my own ideas on how to FUSE some of these concepts with a wire service for on demand documentary and news. Another project similar to the two noted above worth mentioning is something Clare at Exceptional Lives has recently visited, Media for Development out of Tanzania. Here's Clare's take:

The thrust behind all their material is to encourage audiences to think more seriously about social issues, giving them scope to explore their own solutions to problems. Take 'Yellow Card' as an example. The film, made in Zimbabwe in 2000, tackles teenage sexual health issues; from unwanted pregnancy, HIV/ Aids to abortion and shifts the focus to the role teenage boys play. The tag line, 'Boys have babies too', is a comic means of encouraging boys to understand their responsibilities more fully. While the subject matter may seem heavy, the treatment of it is comic- with some hilarious scenes throughout. The music score is similarly vibrant and upbeat and there is some beautiful cinematography. Yellow card won the Jury Prize at the Zanzibar film festival in 2000 and the Los Angles Pan African Film Festival in the same year.

Be sure to check out Clare's posts on this and other adventures as she travels around the world talking to social entrepreneurs.