iWorld
ShortsTV to showcase women-centric docuseries ‘Five’
MUMBAI: ShortsTV, which recently became the exclusive presenter of the Academy Award-nominated short film theatrical releases, has signed a one-year exclusive distribution deal with Mastercard for Five, a collection of documentary short films from women directors about the perseverance and passion of women entrepreneurs.
Through the partnership, ShortsTV’s aims to spotlight short-form filmmakers and diverse perspectives in association with Mastercard’s commitment to gender balance and supporting small business. The five highlighted films will be featured on ShortsTV’s linear broadcast channels such as Tata Sky ShortsTV, Airtel Shorts TV and ShortsTV Active on Dish TV and d2h in March 2021 to mark International Women’s Day.
This five documentary film series has been commissioned by Mastercard and includes Harfa, Justice Of The Pies, Onganic Foods, Sarah’s Bag and Talento Incluir. They follow the journey of five women from five countries across the globe who have each set out to start a purpose-driven business to improve and uplift their communities. Earlier this year, Mastercard expanded its commitment to financial inclusion with a pledge to bring one billion into the digital economy by 2025, including a focus on providing 25 million women entrepreneurs with solutions that can help them grow their businesses. Spotlighting these five stories will bring further awareness to some of the world’s most critical issues challenging inclusion.
“We are thrilled to be joining Mastercard in highlighting five great films about five great women from around the world who have overcome significant challenges to create thriving, community-enhancing businesses,” said ShortsTV founder & CEO Carter Pilcher. “Each one of these uplifting stories speaks to the triumph of an indomitable human spirit, the subtle power of women heroes, and the ability of visual storytelling in film to inspire us daily.”
Five is also a part of Mastercard’s gender balance commitment to design a better world for women by cultivating opportunities, resources and communities that give women the tools they need to grow their businesses.
“Film is a powerful medium, inspiring and educating people through human stories and personal connections. It’s a natural way to drive awareness and empathy for the critical issues women entrepreneurs face every day and we’re honoured to give these five women a platform to share their experiences,” said Mastercard chief marketing and communications officer Raja Rajamannar. “Working with such an innovative partner, ShortsTV, gives our Five documentary series the ability to connect with people all over the world, sharing meaningful messages of resilience, perseverance, community and comradery.”
Harfa, directed by Elle Mische
Learning is a lifelong pursuit, often brimming with a wealth of books and experts on every topic imaginable. But when Irena Orlovic went searching for ways to help teach her young daughter with a developmental disability, she discovered only empty bookshelves in her native language. What began as an educational journey of her own led her to start Harfa, a publishing house founded with an entrepreneurial spirit and a desire to help teach an entire country.
Justice Of The Pies, directed by Michelle Marrion
Basil key lime, blue cheese praline pear, lavender lemon—mouth-watering pies by chef Maya-Camille Broussard delight all five senses. Created to honour her father’s legacy as a Chicago criminal defence attorney who could never say no to a good pastry, Justice of the Pies serves not only the most inventive pies in town but also the city’s future talent, by teaching skills like nutrition and budgeting to kids from underserved communities while they bake their first delicious pie.
Onganic Foods, directed By Lisa Madison
After starting her own garden, journalist Ekta Jaju uncovered that modern farming practices were causing profound health effects on small farmers in her district. Curious and community-minded, Ekta began educating hundreds of farmers about the dangers of pesticides and showing them a better way through organic farming. Her mission quickly blossomed into a thriving business based on sustainable agriculture. Onganic Foods is living proof that one small seed of change can transform a countryside.
Sarah’s Bag, directed by Nadia Naffa
Sarah’s Bag follows the story of solicitous entrepreneur Sarah Beydoun. While working on her thesis in Sociology, Sarah’s eyes were opened to the struggles of women who had been left behind – enduring imprisonment, abuse, and prostitution. Feeling compelled to help, Sarah found local resources and damaged materials to make handbags, while using employment to give the women their dignity back and a means to support their families. Sarah’s Bag takes you inside the lives of those given a second chance.
On 4 August 2020, an explosion occurred that severely damaged Beirut. The horrific blast was the scale of a nuclear explosion — the size of the blast being estimated as that equivalent of 200 to 300 tons of explosives. The impact killed more than 200 people, injured more than 7,000 and left up to 300,000 survivors without their homes. The blast ripped through Sarah's business of 20 years. The roof collapsed on Sarah but she survived. She is working to rebuild her physical and online store, both domestic and internationally.
Talento Incluir, directed by Renata Sette
In a split second, life changed for Carolina Ignarra. Following a harrowing accident, she would need to traverse the crowded streets of São Paulo, Brazil, in a wheelchair forever. She quickly discovered the biggest challenge she was about to face wouldn’t be her own disability, but systemic workplace discrimination for the broader Sao Paulo disabled population. Driven to educate managers on the meaning and value of inclusivity, Carolina started Talento Incluir to help promote new pathways for employers to value, hire and redefine what it means to be top talent.
iWorld
WhatsApp may soon let users to pick who sees their status updates
The messaging giant is borrowing a page from Instagram’s playbook as it pushes to give users finer control over their social circles.
CALIFORNIA: WhatsApp is quietly working on a feature that could make its Status function considerably smarter and considerably more private.
According to reports from beta tracking platforms, the app is testing a tool called Status lists, which would allow users to create named groups such as close friends, family and colleagues, and control precisely which group sees each update. It is a meaningful step up from the platform’s current blunt instruments, which offer only three options: share with all contacts, exclude specific people, or manually select individuals each time.
The new feature draws an obvious comparison with Instagram’s Close Friends function, and the resemblance is unlikely to be accidental. Both platforms sit within Meta’s family, and the company has been nudging them toward a common logic of audience segmentation for some time.
The move also fits neatly into WhatsApp’s broader privacy push. The platform has been rolling out enhanced chat protections and is exploring the introduction of usernames, which would allow users to connect without exchanging phone numbers. Status lists extend that philosophy from messaging into broadcasting.
Meanwhile, Status itself has been evolving well beyond its origins as a simple photo-and-text slideshow. The feature now supports music stickers, collages, longer videos and interactive elements, pushing it closer to the social-media-style story format pioneered by Snapchat and refined by Instagram. In that context, finer audience controls are not merely a privacy feature. They are a precondition for people sharing more.
The feature remains in development and has not been confirmed for release. WhatsApp routinely tests tools that are later modified or quietly shelved. But the direction of travel is clear: the app wants Status to be a destination, not an afterthought. Letting users decide exactly who is in the audience is how it gets there.
