about us
Our Mission
Who we are
We are a non-profit initiative dedicated to serving underprivileged villagers in the Hunan province by connecting filmmakers at the high school and college level to villages like Hanglai and Nantai. By telling the untold stories of these villagers, we are bridging the gap between privileged and underprivileged, and opening up opportunities to economic prosperity. Much of this initiative is built on the bedrock of Serve for China, a program founded on the alleviation and elimination of poverty in rural China.
HOW WE STARTED
When Allen Gan, a rising college freshman, visited the village of Hanglai, he was struck by the beauty and poverty of rural Hunan. As a lifelong enthusiast of storytelling and cinematography, he saw that the scenic panoramas and charming simplicity of village life made for compelling subjects. Gan was driven by a desire to bring exposure to the underprivileged villagers and a need to share this fascinating place with likeminded individuals. On these principles, he founded The World Through Film with Matthew Wang, Sunny Wang, and Adrienne Zhang. In addition to creating additional economic opportunities in this region and encouraging his peers to develop their skills as filmmakers, our initiative shares the story of Hanglai with the rest of China and beyond.
WHAT WE DO
Our initiative brings in students from all over the world in hopes that this experience will enlighten and enrich them. Although our participants are international students, our emphasis will always be on the villagers of Hunan. Our goal is to cultivate and promote each village’s unique identity through film, because films convey messages that words cannot. Imagine a video made by an ambitious, innovative young filmmaker who has spent more than a week immersed in the village. That video is far more compelling to investors, donors, and philanthropists than any article or statistic. In addition to promoting rural tourism, our initiative is also an independent source of income for the villages.
Our goal
the future
Our initiative hopes to increase economic opportunity and prosperity in Hanglai and Nantai through rural tourism. By publicizing their stories, we hope to draw greater investments into their local industries. In addition, we hope to provide our participants with an opportunity to develop their skills in innovation, entrepreneurship, and filmmaking, while equipping them with a complete understanding of the poverty and issues plaguing these villages.