Films

A research documentary film about language politics in Graaff-Reinet and the surrounding Karoo in South Africa as part of the Power of Word! (POW!) project, implemented by the Tshisimani Centre for Activist Education, BottomUp, and Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba under the auspices of the Changing the Story programme.

Ontu-Nilluva (One Community) is a documentary film consolidating the learning outcomes of the Phase 2 Large Grant project, the Tribal Education Methodology (TEM) located in Wayanad, Kerala, India. Wayanad has the large tribal population in Kerala and the film shows how an art-based participatory action research project like TEM helps shape and rebuild the confidence and leadership of the tribal youth learners in Wayanad and reintegrate them into education and community life.

Watch Voices of the Territory, a documentary created by the Changing the Story Consolidating Learning project, Amplificando las Voces (Latin America).

Watch La Verdad, created and performed by Cuál es la verdad? project partners and youth co-researchers.

Watch the Changing the Story Phase 2 Large grant Cuál es la verdad? (Colombia) final project film (July 2021).

Explore the Changing the Story Phase 2 Large grant Cuál es la verdad? (Colombia) project methodological toolkit (July 2021)

Watch CELL by Ka Kou, a dance film commissioned by the Contemporary Arts Making and Creative Expression among Young Cambodians project, and based on the project’s research findings (May 2021).

Youth Agency, Civic Engagement and Sustainable Development (Southern Africa) is a Changing the Story Consolidating Learning project. The following compilation video identifies and addresses the cross-cutting issues that have emerged from the project as significant in the region and that work as either barriers or enabling factors for youth development.

Abducted, cheated and forced to fight in a war that wasn't theirs; former child soldiers of the FARC recount one of the most shocking yet least known atrocities of Colombia's civil war in this feature-length animated documentary. The animation was created as part of research project Building Trust for Truth-telling among Former Child Soldiers: Animation for Inclusion and Peacebuilding in Colombia.

Over the last semester (2021), we’ve been working with a group of students from the University of Leeds’ Faculty of Arts and Humanities Liberal Arts school. Led by CTS PhD Candidate Katie Hodgkinson, we challenged them to create two films that highlighted the themes reflected within the work created by the youth in post-conflict societies. This first film is based on research they undertook with participants from the Changing the Story project Building Trust for Truth-Telling Among Former Child Soldiers: Animation for Inclusion and Peacebuilding in Colombia.

Memories, a film from the the AHRC-GCRF funded project, shaping environmental awareness through participatory filmmaking with young people in Cambodia. As a matriarch in Mondulkiri province, Preng Chanthy strives to maintain the traditions of her indigenous community - including caring for the local elephants and brewing rice wine to offer to spirits - while passing her wisdom on to the next generation. Produced by Sonan SOUS, Sreytoch SAT, Theang PAOV.

My Home, a film from the the AHRC-GCRF funded project, shaping environmental awareness through participatory filmmaking with young people in Cambodia. Chheol Thouk never wanted to be anything else but a mahout and he roams the forest tending to his elephants. But the natural habitat in Mondulkiri province shrinking due to deforestation -- threatening the elephants, their ecosystem and Chheol's way of life. Produced by Sopheana CHOUN, Choulay MECH, Sopheak YAM, Sochetra MEAN, Pisen CHHEAN.

Dull Trail, a film from the the AHRC-GCRF funded project, shaping environmental awareness through participatory filmmaking with young people in Cambodia. Synopsis: Blind in one eye and traumatized from years of war and American bombs, Mae Neng the elephant learns to accept the love of her kind caretaker Da Chroed in Mondulkiri province. Produced by Ricky David CHOEY, Mono PEOU, Raksa KHON

The third of Alumni Leeds Meet the Researchers: Cultural Connections series features Professor Paul Cooke and PhD student Katie Hodgkinson discussing their work on 'Changing the Story' (Aug, 2020).

The following animation produced by the University of Leeds in collaboration with Limehouse takes you through Changing the Story's journey, from conception to now (June 2020).

Carrington, a young collaborator on the Phase 2 Early Career Research project Street Art to Promote Representation and Epistemic Justice among Marginalized Rural Zimbabwean Youth discusses his graffiti art creation which was exhibited in museums and galleries across Zimbabwe.

Phase 1 Colombia Co-Investigator Alejandro Castillejo-Cuéllar reflects on the Changing the Story project, accompanied by highlights from the Changing the Story network meeting in Bogota (Sept 2019).

In Sept 2019, the Etnia Company, a group of young musicians from Choco, Colombia were invited to participate in a panel discussion and perform at Peace on a Small Scale. With the support of the Changing the Story Mobility Fund, the group attended the 2-day event, which was live streamed and broadcast live across 20 local radio stations. Watch a live recording from the groups performance here. Filming by Mauricio Salinas Rozo.

Listen to the jungle, the rivers and the voices of young people from the Atrato River populations, one of the areas hardest hit in the country by the conflict. Alejandro Castillejo-Cuéllar (Phase 1 Colombia Project 'Tales of the Future) has been collecting the sounds of a region to understand, from the territories, concepts such as peace, justice and reconciliation.

Changing the Story: Ilizwi Lenyaniso LomhlabIlizwi (South Africa)

This third film in a series about young people's experience of landlessness by the Ilizwi Lenyaniso LomhlabIlizwi project team in South Africa. The film features an interview with Zamuxolo Matha, the head of the youth movement Youth-in-Power and a co-creator of Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba.

Changing the Story: Ilizwi Lenyaniso LomhlabIlizwi (South Africa)

Watch the second in a series of interviews by Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba: Radical Narratives (Phase 2 South Africa) about the impact of landlessness. The film features an interview with Zuko Khedamile, one of the leaders of the youth movement Youth-in-Power.

Changing the Story: Examining Interpretations of Civic National Values in Kenya and Nepal (Jan 20)

Watch this short documentary produced by the project team which offers insight into the Nepal strand of the project. The documentary features young people from the project and interviews with the core research team.

Praxis in a Minute (October 2019)

Stuart Taberner (Principal Investigator) introduces Praxis: Arts and Humanities for Global Challenges. Watch Stuart talk about the project's aims, the four main research areas the project will be focusing on (heritage, conflict and displacement, resilience and global health), and the series of events Praxis will be hosting over the next 3 years.

Changing the Story: Examining Interpretations of Civic National Values in Kenya and Nepal (Sept 19)

Watch this short documentary produced by the project team which offers insight into the Kenyan strand of the project. The documentary features young people from the project and interviews with the core research team.

Changing the Story: Arts, Critical Thinking and Active Citizenship (Phase 1, Kosovo)

Watch the final cut of the animation produced by the proof of concept project team 'Boom Zine.' The animation centres on the development of the music scene in Kosovo in the 1980s.

Changing the Story in a Minute (Sept 2019)

Simon Dancey (Co-Investigator of The Future is Unwritten) talks about his work with Alejandro Castillejo-Cuéllar in Colombia, emphasising the need to link grassroots activity with cultural policy in order to effect social change.

Changing the Story: Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba (July 2019)

Principle Investigator Scott Burnett of the Phase 2 South Africa Project presents the aims, context and team behind Ilizwi Lenyaniso Lomhlaba.

Changing the Story ACT - Arts, Critical Thinking and Active Citizenship

ACT chose to design a call-out for the proof of concept part of their project, encouraging research-practice teams from across Kosovo to apply. The successful project was ‘BOOM Zine’ – a qualitative research project that looks at the development of the rock and roll scene in Kosovo in the 1980s.

Changing the Story: Youth Led Social Enterprises in Malaysia (May 2019)

Phase 2 Co-Investigator Wee Chan Au (Monash University) highlights the opportunities social enterprises can provide and the lack of research into social enterprises in the context of Malaysia.

Mobilising Histories of Discrimination, Persecution & Genocide (May 2018)

Our joint inter-disciplinary, international workshop hosted at the Johannesburg Holocaust & Genocide Centre explored the use of film, drama and storytelling as mechanisms for confronting dark pasts, mobilising traumatic memory, and addressing continuing forms of inequality and injustice.

Changing the Story: The Anlong Veng Peace Tours (May 2019)

Delivered as part of Changing the Story's Cambodia strand, the April 2018 Anlong Veng Peace Tours saw the first deployment of participatory film-making methods as a means for students to explore the stories of local residents and former Khmer Rouge.

Changing the Story (Kosovo)

'Let's remember not to forget'

Find out about our Phase 2 project 'The Making of the Museum of Education' from Principal Investigator Linda Guisa who takes us on a tour of their former school, now the setting of the museum.

Changing the Story: The Anlong Veng Peace Tours (March 2019)

In March 2019, Changing the Story hosted a workshop in Phnom Penh, Cambodia titled 'Learning from the past with and for young people: Intergenerational dialogue, education and memory after genocide.' Find out about our Cambodia strand and hear from project Co-Investigators and partners who attended the event.

Changing the Story in a Minute (March 2019)

Inés Soria-Donlan discusses her involvement with Changing the Story as Project Manager and as a Creative Producer.

Changing the Story in a Minute (March 2019)

Nub Raj Bhandari discusses the opportunities he has gained through his involvement with Changing the Story as a Phase 2 project partner on the Kenya and Nepal strand.

Changing the Story in a Minute (November 2017)

Emraan Azad is an early career researcher, from the Bangladesh University of Professionals. He talks about why he wanted to take part in Changing the Story's project development workshop.

Changing the Story in a Minute (November 2017)

Fiammetta Wegner is a specialist in participatory action research and works with Recrear International. She talks here about what she finds interesting about the Changing the Story project development workshop.

Changing the Story in a Minute (November 2017)

Emily Morrison discusses her involvement with the Changing the Story Project and our partnership with the British Council.

Peace in a Small Scale (November 2017)

Prof. Alejandro Castillejo-Cuéllar (Changing the Story Co-I) presents his paper "Peace in a Small Scale: Colombia and the Social Imagination of the Future" as part of Changing the Story's project launch at our "Voicing Hidden Histories" conference at University of Leeds.

That was nice, but so what? Participatory arts for sustainable development (August 2017)

Artists, activists, practitioners and academics speak about the opportunities and challenges of participatory arts in development. Filmed at our international seminar held as part of the GCRF 'Voicing Hidden Histories' project (Cooke, 2017).

Changing the Story in a Minute

Paul Cooke introduces the Changing the Story Project and describes the commissioning process that is underway to support early career researchers to develop new projects to explore the ways in which arts and heritage-based CSOs support young people in post-conflict settings.