Every weekday evening Channel 4 TV in the UK broadcasts a short three-minute film, under the series entitled 'three minute wonder', immediately after the main evening news. On Thursday 14 January, 2010 the 'three minute wonder' was about South Indian banker J S Parthibhan and his work to provide micro-credit to the villagers of Tamil Nadu.
The film is called 'Banking on Change' and is a short extract from a prize-winning 15-minute documentary film of Parthibhan shot last December by film producer and director Andrew Hinton of Pilgrim Films, London, on behalf of IofC India. The cameraman is Eric Trometer.
'Banking on Change' was selected for broadcast after being one of four winners out of 200 entrants in a 4Doc's and The Cooperative - three minute wonder competition. Channel 4’s voice-over introduction to the film said, ‘How opening a bank account can change your life.’
An encounter with Initiatives of Change as a University student changed the course of J S Parthiban's life. With the help of his family he has followed his convictions, using his position as a bank manager to bring about change for those who need it most. This is his story - and theirs.
This film is the first of four short documentaries planned, highlighting people making a difference in India.
English