The International Year of Cooperatives (IYC) Short Film Festival will take place on 20 November 2012 at the United Nations Headquarters during the closing ceremony of the Year under the theme "Promoting Cooperatives Beyond 2012".

The seven winners selected raise awareness about cooperatives – what they are, and what they do – and encourage support and development of cooperative enterprises by individuals and their communities. The films also highlighted at least one of the 10 key messages of the International Year of Cooperatives:

• Cooperative enterprises build a better world.
• Cooperative enterprises are member owned, member serving and member driven
• Cooperatives empower people
• Cooperatives improve livelihoods and strengthen the economy
• Cooperatives enable sustainable development
• Cooperatives promote rural development
• Cooperatives balance both social and economic demands
• Cooperatives promote democratic principles
• Cooperatives and gender: a pathway out of poverty
• Cooperatives: a sustainable business model for youth

Winners of the International Year of Cooperatives Short Film Festival

 

1. What's to love about food co-ops? (2 minutes)
Produced by the National Cooperative Grocers Association
Country: USA

 

2. Cooperative of Apurimac (14 minutes)

Produced by Miko Meloni

Country: Peru

 

3. Women with courage (15 minutes)

Produced by Charlotte Marchesseault
Country: Brazil

 

4. Co-op Housing: more than a home (8 minutes)

Produced by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada
Country: Canada

 

5. Food For Change: The Twin Cities Story (14:56 minutes)

Produced by Steve Alves
Country: USA

 

6. Red Chillies (15 minutes)

Produced by Samadanie Kiriwandeniya, Sanasa Development Bank

Directed by Rohana Warnakulasooriya
Country: Sri Lanka

 

7. Cooperative Enterprises Build a Better World by meeting Human Need not Human Greed (12:07 minutes)
Produced by the Co-operative Development Division of the Ministry of Labour and Small and Micro Enterprise Development, Trinidad and Tobago
Country: Trinidad and Tobago

 

Click here to watch the short films