Daughters of Destiny (TV series)

Last updated
Daughters of Destiny
Genre Documentary
Created by Vanessa Roth
StarringShilpa Anthony Raj
Abraham George
Ajit George
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes4
Production
Running time56-65 min.
Original release
NetworkNetflix
ReleaseJuly 28, 2017 (2017-07-28)

Daughters of Destiny is a 2017 English-language original Netflix documentary series created by Oscar-winning filmmaker Vanessa Roth. It follows a group of disadvantaged children in rural India enrolled in the Shanti Bhavan residential school located in Tamil Nadu, India. [1]

Contents

Premise

Daughters of Destiny is shot over seven years, and follows a group of girls from rural India who are denied education because of their caste. [2] [3] [1]

Cast

Release and reception

It was released on July 28, 2017 on Netflix streaming. [4]

Julie Raeside from The Guardian wrote that "The actions of one man have undoubtedly transformed the lives of hundreds of seriously disadvantaged children and their families. If that isn’t worth celebrating in this glorious fashion, then I don’t know what is". [2] Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote that "For every instance of success, there are two or three scenes that are problematic at best — family strife, hopelessness, promise unfulfilled. “Daughters of Destiny” can and will be used as a promotional tool for the Shanti Bhavan project, but it’s to Ms. Roth’s credit that it sometimes feels like the opposite". [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in India</span>

Education in India is primarily managed by the state-run public education system, which falls under the command of the government at three levels: central, state and local. Under various articles of the Indian Constitution and the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, free and compulsory education is provided as a fundamental right to children aged 6 to 14. The approximate ratio of the total number of public schools to private schools in India is 10:3.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abraham George</span> Indian-American businessman and philanthropist

Abraham M. George is an Indian-American businessman, academic, and philanthropist. He is the founder of The George Foundation (TGF), a non-profit organization based in Bangalore, India dedicated to the welfare and empowerment of economically and socially disadvantaged populations in India. His foundation has initiated numerous projects in poverty alleviation, education, healthcare, lead poisoning prevention, women's empowerment, and press freedom. He founded the Shanti Bhavan school to help provide free education to socially disadvantaged kids from age 4 through college.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shanti Bhavan</span> Non-profit organisation based in Bangalore, India

The Shanti Bhavan Children's Project is a U.S. 501(c)(3) and India 80-G non-profit organisation based in Bangalore Karnataka, India, that operates a pre-K-12 residential school in Baliganapalli, Tamil Nadu. The school annually enrolls 12 boys and 12 girls for its incoming pre-school class. Thereafter, students stay at the school year-round except for summer and winter breaks. Students attend Shanti Bhavan free of charge and are provided with nutritional meals, clothes, shelter, education, healthcare and emotional and mental support. Shanti Bhavan is accredited by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), and administers the ICSE and ISC exams during students' 10th and 12th grades. After students' 12th grade, Shanti Bhavan also pays for their college education.

Vanessa Roth is an American filmmaker who writes, produces and directs non-fiction films. She has won a number of awards for her films, including a 2008 Academy Award for Best Short Documentary for Freeheld; an Emmy Honors Award for Social Impact and a IDA Nomination for best doc series for her Netflix series, Daughters of Destiny; an Alfred I duPont-Columbia award for Taken In: The Lives of America's Foster Children; Impact Doc Awards for Outstanding Achievement in filmmaking for The Girl and The Picture; two Sundance Special Jury Prizes; two Cine Golden Eagles; two Casey Medals; and a MacArthur Grant. She directed Mary J. Blige's My Life (2021).

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References

  1. 1 2 "In Daughters of Destiny, Educating the "Untouchables"". Vogue. 27 July 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Raeside, Julia (27 July 2017). "Daughters of Destiny review – a documentary full of hope and adorable children". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 27 July 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Hale, Mike (28 July 2017). "Review: 'Daughters of Destiny' on Netflix Explores Caste Struggles in India". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 29 July 2017. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  4. Daughters of Destiny. Netflix.