Female Empowerment through Film

My name is Hannah Latimer-Snell and I am a senior at Portland State University, majoring in International Studies. At the age of 17, I was diagnosed with a vicious eating disorder and spent the next three years fighting to take back my voice. I spent a year in treatment and then two more after that figuring out who I am.This experience is not meant to define me, and I will never give it the power to do so, but it has shaped who I am today. It has taught me how to face life with resilience and to trust that I have something interesting and unique to bring to the world.

Because of my past challenges coming to terms with my own voice, I want to spend my professional career empowering women who have not had a chance to find their voices and help them embrace their power. Cinema, I have found, is the most productive and personal way to share important stories. For 4 months, as a final internship to end my undergraduate career and through PSU IE3 Global Internships, I will be traveling to Chennai, India to embark on a life-changing and career inspiring opportunity.



In India, I will be working with Vaishnavi Sundar, founder and owner of Lime Soda Films , a small independent film production company that focuses on empowering women.Vaishnavi is an independent filmmaker herself, as well as an actor, screenwriter, and activist in Chennai, the Tamil Nadu region of Southeastern India. She is known for her works, Pava and The Catalyst and Unearthing the Treasures of Ariyalur , and for incorporating activism into her films. I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to work with her to create a short documentary about workplace harassment against women; through 8-10 individualized interviews with women, from Chennai, affected directly or indirectly by harassment.Sundar has agreed to mentor me on how to fund, produce, film, edit, and finally market a film. Upon my return in December, I will have had hands-on experience working on everything that makes a film complete and powerful.

My goal is to raise $5,000.The money will go towards making a trailer, roughly $500-700, that I can submit to film grants, accommodation for while I am in Chennai, which would be roughly $1,000, film equipment , roughly $1,000, and then $2,000 for editting equipment and location leases. In order to raise enough funds for the project we need to create a short trailer that presents our vision of the film . Your financial support will help make this dream a reality and will not be wasted.Every dollar helps! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to experience a new culture and learn about the non-profit film industry. Your support means the world to me and I am extremely thankful for anything that you can contribute.