Kerry Hammond ’14

I co-founded the Girls Impact the World Film Festival (GITW) in 2012 with Lila Igram of Connecther and Ara Parikh ’15. Together, the three of us direct and produce GITW. 

 Lila, founder of Connecther, Ara, and I came together through a mutual interest in storytelling on film and engaging audiences online using the interactivity and connectivity of social media. Our submissions are hosted entirely on Youtube, and shared via Twitter and Facebook, providing the young adult voice an outlet in a compelling medium. We were inspired by the power of storytelling in the hands of  young filmmakers. We asked them to imagine in film a better and brighter future for women around the world. The films tell stories about girls and women that raise awareness and propose solutions, envisioning in film the possibilities of our time for women globally. Harvard Social Innovation Collaborative is our on-campus co-sponsor and integral to our success as a student film festival. 

Seeing the look of joy and surprise on the Grand Prize winner had when Kathryn Harhai’s film, Point B, won the Judges’ Award. While our judges review and score each of the films before the event takes place, the finalists are only notified that they are in the Top 3 prior to the awards ceremony, but not if they are the Grand Prize Winner or a Runner Up. When the $5,000 Grand Prize was announced by actress Eloise DeJoria and The Vampire Diaries’ star Ian Somerhalder, it was a complete surprise to the winning filmmaker! 

Girls Impact the World would not be possible without our judging panel. Our celebrity judges, Eloise DeJoria and Ian Somerhalder, offer key perspective from the entertainment industry and feedback on effectively using film to create narrative for our filmmakers. They were wonderful partners and were earnest, devoted to our cause, and as moved by the films as Ara, Lila, and I were. Eloise and Ian were instrumental in helping spread our message about the power of film to initiate change for the better. 

Yes, GITW will be held every spring! As we continue to expand our reach, additional events may be held in locations outside of Boston to accommodate our growing audience.