Watch the documentary Indonesia’s Silent Emergency: Stunting in Rural Populations here.
Nayla Punjabi, daughter of Manoj Punjabi (CEO of MD Entertainment), has won the Most Inspiring Project Award at the Micro Film Festival 2024 for her documentary Indonesia’s Silent Emergency. The film premiered on MD Entertainment’s YouTube channel on September 3, 2024.
According to its official website, the Micro Film Festival celebrates Asia’s cultural diversity and commitment to positive change. This year’s theme, “Sustainability,” highlighted compelling stories about environmental, social, and economic issues, offering fresh perspectives on building a brighter future.
Dual Winners in the Inspiring Project Award Category
Indonesia’s Silent Emergency was one of two winners in the Inspiring Project Award category, sharing the honor with Singaporean film When Was the Last Time You Hugged Your Father.
“Due to exceptionally close scores, the committee decided to award two winners per category, encouraging creators to continue producing impactful works and supporting nonprofits in delivering meaningful projects,” said Shenyu Belsky, Program Director of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, during the awards announcement in China on Wednesday (November 13, 2024).
“This decision underscores the festival’s commitment to social innovation and transformative impact,” she added.
The festival organizers, Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC), allocated a total prize of USD $30,000 for the Inspiring Project Award category, divided equally among the winners.
Next year’s festival will focus on the theme of Youth Mental Health. Organizers hope that stories rooted in sustainability will inspire communities and drive meaningful change.
“Through these films, Inspiring Asia 2024 celebrated the transformative impact of creativity and collaboration in addressing Asia’s most pressing challenges,” said Shenyu Belsky.
The Documentary: Indonesia’s Silent Emergency
Produced by Nayla Punjabi, the film explores the issue of stunting in Indonesia, particularly in one of the country’s poorest provinces, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). Initially started as a college project, the documentary sheds light on social inequality and health disparities in Indonesia and premiered on MD Entertainment’s YouTube channel on September 3, 2024.
“I spent a year doing research and realized how severe the situation is in Indonesia. NTT has the highest stunting rates. Their work reduces stunting. I felt I needed to go there and tell their story,” Nayla shared during a press conference in South Jakarta on Wednesday (August 28, 2024).
Indonesia’s Silent Emergency is a collaboration between MD Entertainment Foundation and 1000 Days Fund, an organization dedicated to preventing and reducing health issues among children in Indonesia.
The documentary emphasizes the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life for their growth and development. Malnutrition during this period can lead to irreversible damage.
It also highlights issues such as maternal malnutrition, poor sanitation, and limited access to healthcare services.
“I’m grateful for the privilege of accessing doctors and hospitals when needed. People there (in NTT) face severe challenges in accessing such services and need much more attention,” Nayla said.
“My goal with this documentary is to authentically portray the daily struggles of rural mothers and inspire viewers to take action,” she added.
MD Entertainment Foundation and 1000 Days Fund invite everyone to watch the documentary, emphasizing its importance in understanding and addressing Indonesia’s Silent Emergency, which threatens the nation’s future.
About MD Entertainment Foundation
https://bit.ly/TrailerIndonesiaSilentEmergency
MD Entertainment Foundation is dedicated to bridging hearts, entertaining, and building communities by turning real-life stories into films that inspire change. Guided by our vision to enrich communities through authentic storytelling and acts of kindness, we aim to extend our impact beyond the screen by supporting underserved communities.
About 1000 Days Fund
https://1000daysfund.org/stunting-documentary/
1000 Days Fund is a foundation focused on innovative, cost-effective solutions to end stunting, a condition affecting 1 in 3 Indonesian children. We train and equip community health workers with the tools and confidence to prevent stunting, creating sustainable health systems at the village level.
In the past five years, we have trained 72,669 community health workers, facilitated over 361,017 home malnutrition screenings, and distributed more than 3.5 million smart posters in collaboration with BKKBN. Our programs have reduced stunting rates by 43.5%, saving over 70,000 children from stunting risks.
Contact:
Astrid Suryatenggara | astrid@mdentertainment.com
