Impact
A film that was lived before it was made
Where the Light Enters You is more than a film. It’s a story made with its protagonists — not about them — opening a window into rights, health, and how rural communities shape their own futures.
Before the lights and cameras, there was action
This film was made by people who first showed up as volunteers, educators, and listeners, long before they ever picked up a camera.
Our expansive East-meets-West team goes beyond filmmakers and includes social workers, medical professionals, environmental educators, community organizers, artists, and translators — people who have volunteered and led grassroots projects across India for years. The film was built from that trust, not the other way around.
This isn’t just a story to tell — it’s one built over years of impact-first work with the people at its heart.
Meet the Mir community
The Mirs are artists, storytellers, and survivors. Their name, Mir or Mirasi, means “heritage” or “inheritance,” reflecting their centuries-old role as keepers of cultural memory through stories, songs, and crafts like beadwork.
They carry a rare tapestry of Hindu and Muslim heritage — a quiet resistance to division. Living near the Pakistan border across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Sindh, they inhabit one of the most politically marginalized regions of India.
Today, dozens of Mir families live on the edge of Dasada, Gujarat, near the salt flats of the Little Rann of Kutch. Their beadwork is not just art: it’s memory, identity, and survival. Though they’ve been left out of India’s economic story, their strength continues, shaped by resilience and carried through generations.
What resilience is up against
Two in three women are anemic
From poor diets, early pregnancies, and eating last.
Only one girl finished high school
Out of 400 in the core community.
Girls marry as early as fourteen
Driven by poverty, patriarchy, and school dropout.
Zero families get government aid
Misclassified as “above the poverty line,” denied help.
Impact at a glance
120
Villages represented at health camps
65+
Women now earning a living through beadwork
70%
COVID vaccination rate due to regional efforts
How the work grew, year by year
What started as early groundwork by social worker and field producer Niyati Kukadiya in Dasada grew into a wider effort supported by others over time. Her long-term engagement with the Mir community helped spark many of the milestones below — work that shaped the story behind Where the Light Enters You. Today, the film helps carry that work forward.
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Work with the Mirasi community begins, with the aim of building sustainable income opportunities selling jewelry.
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Supported 30 women with livelihood projects and training to improve jewelry and art product skills and market appeal.
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Created a bead bank offering subsidized quality beads, helping women reduce costs and earn better wages.
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Provided monthly ration kits and essential supplies to the community. Produced 5,000 tea light holders before Diwali, providing income to 50 women.
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Fundraising helped pay for medical treatment of a community leader and assisted families in protecting belongings from predatory lenders.
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Representatives from 120 villages gathered at central training hubs for four waves of COVID awareness education — led by Aney Patel, Shivangi Desai, and Niyati Kukadiya, alongside volunteers, medical students, and local teams. Around 90 Mirasi women across three regions were supported through a Rakhi holiday campaign, learning creative skills that led to a new line of jewelry and sunglass chains.
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When a typhoid outbreak struck, coordinated screenings, medication distribution, and education efforts were launched. Every Mir family in the community received a month’s supply of essential food and provisions.
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Thousands of dollars of jewelry were bought directly from artisans, many earning their first income. Despite a tough monsoon slowing sales, efforts were made to help move their supply and support household security.
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When a newborn in the Mir community was born prematurely, the family couldn’t afford hospital care. Aney and Niyati, a local social worker, stepped in to pool resources and cover the cost.
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Increased visibility of jewelry in global markets and secured international shipments of beadwork and clothwork, building collaborations with sustainable buyers in India and abroad.
Interested in purchasing jewelry directly from the artisans?
Starting small, growing together
Planting the first seeds in Dasada, we’re nurturing an approach to health, livelihood, and art that can ripple outward across Gujarat, India, and beyond. From now through 2025, visibility is our starting point. By sharing the film far and wide, we open doors, shift narratives, and build momentum for lasting change.
Your impact in action
Amplify visibility through our Oscar campaign
Our 2026 Oscar push is taking the film global — raising awareness and building partnerships for long-term community impact.
Turn beadwork into livelihood
By connecting Mir artisans to global buyers, we help keep tradition alive and put income directly into women’s hands.
Ease daily burdens for women and girls
We’ve supported hygiene and disease prevention. Next, we’re working to bring water wheels and safe water access to the community.
Long-term vision
Common Facility Centre (CFC)
We’re exploring a shared community space in Dasada, co-created with local partners to meet daily needs with care. If realized, the center could offer:
Clean water source
Sanitation and hygiene access
Electricity for light and charging
Space for beadwork and skill training
Childcare and study areas
Medical camps and wellness support
What they’re saying
It takes a village
We’re grateful to our partners — near and far — who carry this vision forward every day.
Join us and be part of a story designed to continue long after the credits roll.