Oscar-nominated documentary feature To Kill a Tiger launches global impact campaign

Academy Award Nominated Director Nisha Pahuja, collaborating with NGOs Equality Now, Equimundo, and MenEngage Alliance, embark on a global gender justice campaign called #StandWithHer. Inspired by Pahuja’s Oscar-nominated 2024 documentary feature, To Kill a Tiger, streaming on Netflix, which tells the story of Ranjit, a farmer in Jharkhand, India, and his wife, Jaganti, who seek justice for their 13-year-old daughter, Kiran (pseudonym), after three men sexually assault her. Despite social ostracization, death threats, economic poverty, and caste prejudice, they refuse to give up. Defying all odds, they win a landmark ruling. Their story of courage and resilience has the power to inspire people around the world to work for a future free of gender-based violence (GBV).

#StandWithHer has three key goals: Empower survivors of sexual assault and GBV to seek justice; create a culture of shared responsibility, inviting men and boys to become allies; and prevent GBV through education and social narrative change. The campaign’s vision is built on four integrated pillars: Public Awareness and Mobilization, Political Advocacy, Education and Prevention, and Media and Social Media campaigns.

“For the past few years, my team and I have been working tirelessly toward this moment-supported by partners, organizations, and thinkers who’ve been at the forefront of gender rights for decades, “said Academy Award Nominated Director Nisha Pahuja. “As filmmakers, we understand the power of story, especially documentary, and its singular ability to unite people around an issue. The eradication of sexual violence and GBV needs the commitment of all of us. With To Kill a Tiger, we have a powerful story – the force of Ranjit’s love and the wisdom and courage of his daughter Kiran, are those rare elements around which movements can form, and the seeds of change planted.”

Commenting on the importance telling this story and the #StandWithHer campaign, Executive Producer Dev Patel said: “This is one of the most important stories in modern Indian history, and with this campaign, we can really start to see and understand its capacity to empower and serve as a catalyst for change.” Executive Producer Mindy Kaling added: This campaign is one crucial step towards a world free from gender-based violence, a world we deserve and will fight for to see in our lifetimes.”

A strong proponent of male allyship, Ziauddin Yousafzai, co-founder The Malala Fund said, “To Kill a Tiger is an inspiring real-life story with the power to shake the foundations of deeply rooted patriarchal norms. Kiran—true to the meaning of her chosen pseudonym—is more than a ray of hope; she is the sunshine of a new dawn of equality and human dignity as she shifts the burden of blame and shame from the victim to the perpetrators. The historic court decision reinforces a vital truth: rape is not a stain on the innocent victim but an ugly mark on an unjust society. Kiran and her father wield the tools of social, political, and legal systems against the tiger of ruthless patriarchy.”

Working in collaboration with various U.S. organizations, the campaign will seek to sustain and increase government funding for survivors nationally and internationally and support GBV prevention programs. The campaign will kick off with a To Kill a Tiger screening tour of the U.S. The tour will include screenings and high-profile events. Each event will be followed by conversations with Pahuja, the film’s participants, gender rights activists, legal and political experts, and Executive Producers. Currently, 40 in-person screenings are planned within the U.S., including New York, Chicago, Dallas, Austin, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, and Washington.

Laxman Belbase, codirecteur de MenEngage Alliance, a déclaré à propos de son partenariat avec la campagne :

“To Kill a Tiger powerfully showcases the crucial role of boys and men as agents of change, emphasising how their accountable and catalytic actions can drive meaningful change to prevent and end sexual and gender-based violence.”

Fellow co-director, and Joni van de Sand added: “We see this film not only as a story about a father, but a story that showcases how girls and young women can be transformative leaders and stand up for their rights. By depicting male allies who opt to oppose violence and oppression, Kill the Tiger offers a powerful message of hope and transformation, inspiring collective actions for a more just and equitable society.”

The screening in New York will take place alongside the sixty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69). It will be in partnership with UN Women and will be held at the Paris Theater in New York City. In September, the campaign moves internationally, where over 75 in-person screenings are being planned.

To ensure the long-term sustainability of the impact campaign, Blueshift Education and Roco Films will create and distribute a comprehensive curriculum inspired by To Kill a Tiger. In two years, the curriculum will reach 1.2 million students in 25,000-50,000 schools across the U.S.

Strategically led by much of the same all-women team behind To Kill a Tiger’s Oscar campaign and nomination, #StandWithHer will be collaborating with over 60 partners, including Equality Now, Equimundo, the Ramesh and Kalpana Bhatia Family Foundation, MenEngage Alliance, ValorUS, Sakhi for South Asian Survivors, South Asian SOAR, Blueshift Education, Roco Films, Object&Animal, Prism Entertainment,  A.C. Films Inc. and Product of Culture. The campaign is produced by Notice Pictures Inc.