Dream, Girl: A Homecoming

Ottawa entrepreneur Komal Minhas is back in town for a very special event. Komal will be joined by her Dream, Girl co-creator Erin Bagwell, the director of the film, as well as women’s and girls’ rights champion Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau to screen Dream, Girl at the Mayfair Theatre Tuesday November 1^st at 2:30PM.

When an email from Erin Bagwell landed in her inbox KoMedia founder Komal did not expect that it would change her life. After seeing the kickstarter trailer Erin had made in that email, Komal instantly knew she wanted to be part of the Dream, Girl project. Within a few days they connected and “the rest is history” as Komal put it.

They set out to create the Dream, Girl documentary film that follows female entrepreneurs from around the world and are based in and around New York City. Embracing the understanding that “you can’t be what you can’t see,” the film speaks to the lack of role models for female entrepreneurs and the isolation they face in a world that is still learning how to properly reflect the complexity of their experiences.

The women followed for the documentary come from a variety of backgrounds and are making spaces for themselves and their businesses in diverse industries. Komal stresses the need for women’s stories to permeate the zeitgeist now and in the future:

“The generation of millennials and the next even younger generation that is much more empowered, that is much more aware, that is much more critical and thoughtful of the media they consume. I think there is a natural progression moving forward of creating more realistic, authentic, real and complicated women’s stories because that’s their truth and reality of women every day.”

The film was entirely created by women and now that it is complete, the concepts and messages from the film are being employed to bring it to audiences around the world. The film was premiered at The White House on May 26^th of this year – a testament to the energy of the Dream, Girl movement of female entrepreneurs and the need to find innovative ways to tell these important stories.

It was a significant venue because there is a responsibility on the part of government to develop policies and create a culture that support and empower female economy. Social change is at the heart of the Dream, Girl mission and perhaps that is what attracted Oprah Winfrey to the movement. The Oprah Winfrey Network honoured the Dream, Girl producer and filmmaker when it included them in their inaugural SuperSoul 100 list. The SuperSoul 100 list that “features extraordinary individuals that live life intentionally, create great social impact, and bring inspiration to others.”

So far, the film has been screened in 7 countries. The aim is to have 1000 community-based screenings by the end of 2017. To hear more on Dream, Girl and the screenings in Ottawa, please listen to this interview with Komal Minhas: