Past Workshops

Dharavi, Mumbai | Slumdog Millionaires 

Immortalized by it's appearance in the blockbuster film, Dharavi Slum, located in the heart of Mumbai, is home to nearly 1 million people living in an area roughly 1 square mile in size. That’s about 18,000 people per acre. Most exist with no running water, electricity health care or educational opportunities. Occupying a patch of land  smack dab in the middle of India's financial capital, Dharavi is a city within a city, it is one unending stretch of narrow dirty lanes, open sewers and cramped huts.

Handheld volunteers spent 4 weeks teaching students in Dharavi how to tell their own stories. And you will be surprised how much their reality very much collides with the popular opinions of what it might be like to live in those conditions.

Handheld Stories & Doha Film Institute 

What happens when you combine Handheld Stories’ mentorship with the Doha Film Institute’s mission for youth development? Over three incredible summers, we led fast-paced filmmaking workshops that turned students into creators. 

While our roots are in lean storytelling, we successfully adapted our bespoke curriculum to leverage the world-class resources of the Institute. In just two short weeks, participants mastered narrative and technical skills, moving through a rigorous process of reflection and expression to produce their own original films.

See The Work

Handheld Stories was proud to partner with Thunder Valley CDC to bring our intensive filmmaking workshops to their community. Thunder Valley CDC works to empower Lakota youth and families to improve the health, culture, and environment of their communities through healing and strengthening cultural identity.

By converting our bespoke curriculum to leverage the organization’s mission, we empowered students to create "stories that matter."  Young participants explored the power of visual writing to investigate themes of belonging, family, and tolerance. These workshops turned students into creators, helping them master the technical skills needed to express their truth and build confidence through the lens of cinema.

See The Work: