Stories
Shikshagraha Film on Bihar Girls Education Named UN Awards Finalist
- •Mothers of Courage, a documentary highlighting a grassroots movement for girls' education in Bihar, is a finalist in the Creativity category of the 2026 UN SDG Action Awards.
- •The film is part of Shikshagraha, a public education movement supported by Infosys co-founder S.D. Shibulal, which has mobilised over 1.19 million citizens across 14 districts in Bihar.
- •Directed by Vandana R, the documentary follows rural women challenging social norms and child marriage to keep girls in school through community gatherings known as Shiksha Chaupals.
- •The UN SDG Action Awards ceremony will take place in Rome on October 29.
- •The film has also earned accolades at Cannes Lions 2026, the Los Angeles Film Awards, the ABBY Awards, and SABRE Awards across South Asia and Asia Pacific.
Key Questions Answered
'Mothers of Courage' is a documentary directed by Vandana R and produced by Butterfly Effect Media that follows mothers and mothers-in-law in rural Bihar challenging social norms to support girls' education and prevent child marriage.
The film has been named a finalist in the Creativity category of the 2026 Heroes of Tomorrow: United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Action Awards, with the ceremony scheduled in Rome on October 29.
The documentary was India's only entry shortlisted in the Sustainable Development Goals Lions category at Cannes Lions 2026. It also won Best Inspirational Film at the Los Angeles Film Awards 2026, received a Silver at the ABBY Awards 2026, won Platinum and Gold SABRE Awards, and was a finalist at the 7th Mumbai International Film Festival.
