The Revolutionary Optimists
The Revolutionary Optimists
Quote: "Time Out New York: Critic's Pick!" "Four Stars" "It's truly something to see.."
Salim from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"
Scene from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"
"Three and a half stars" "Hope bubbles through the film...a tribute to the power of optimism." - The Seattle Times, Moira Macdonald
Scene from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"
Scene from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"
Scene from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"
"inspiring...a vital snapshot of developing world struggles and possibilities." - The Los Angeles Times
Scene from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"
Scene from documentary "The Revolutionary Optimists"

The Revolutionary Optimists

Regular price $295.00
Unit price  per 


  • Directed By: Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen
  • Produced By: Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen
Educational Release: 2014

Running Time: 83 minutes
NTSC / English
Subjects: Children, Youth & Family, Human Rights

THE REVOLUTIONARY OPTIMISTS follows 4 children from Kolkata's poorest slums on an intimate journey through their adolescence, drawing us into the world of two 11-year olds with no access to clean drinking water, a girl forced to labor inside a brick kiln, and a teenage dancer on the precipice of choosing childhood marriage to escape from her abusive family. From these fragile lives, lawyer turned change-agent Amlan Ganguly mines the strength and vision to build a most unlikely revolution. Together they fight seemingly insurmountable odds to build a better future for themselves and their community, challenging the notion that marginalization is written into their destiny.

The Revolutionary Optimists (Trailer) from Collective Eye Films on Vimeo.

Awards:

  •  Sustainability Award - Sundance Hilton Lightstay 2013

Quotes:

"...children in the slums of Calcutta become community activists." - Mother Jones

Critic's Pick! "...people could learn a lot from these little activists." - The Washington Post

"...The film ends in earned triumph. Obviously idealism drives The Revolutionary Optimists, a warmly observational documentary by the Bay Area-based team of Nicole Newnham and Maren Grainger-Monsen, but that's not to say it lacks pragmatism. "If you want to start any kind of change, start it with the children," says Alman Ganguly, a former lawyer, community leader, and life-altering mentor to many of the children of India's slums. These are kids who lack access to clean drinking water, or work grueling days in brickfields..." - SF Weekly

"Compelling" - Yahoo! News, Stephen Saito

"Tastefully observational" "High drama" - Slant Magazine, Drew Hunt

"Inspiring" - The Hollywood Reporter, John DeFore

"...Refreshing...Thoughtful..." - Indiewire, Anthony Kaufman

"Blazes with a will to change India's slums" - Michelle Orange, The Village Voice