The Yogi Foundation’s support of filmmaking reflects our commitment to reimaging the world and our place within it.

Consider documentarian Ava DuVernay’s film 13th,which traces the historical roots of mass incarceration in the United States. Through a carefully woven narrative that includes archival footage, expert interviews, and visual motifs, DuVernay builds a compelling case that repositions the viewer’s understanding of criminal justice.

With fine-tuned pacing and evocative juxtapositions,13th brings a visceral urgency to its subject matter. Viewers leave the film not only informed but moved, galvanized to question assumptions they may have never thought to challenge. DuVernay’s work doesn’t just present facts. It reframes how we understand them.

In an age of fragmentation, film remains capable of cutting across social and ideological boundaries. A well-told story can bypass intellectual defenses and reach the emotional core; challenging us without lecturing, inviting us in without demanding preexisting knowledge, and leaving us transformed – in our minds and in our hearts.

For philanthropic organizations, this is an opportunity. By funding film – not only the production of individual projects, but the ecosystems that support underrepresented voices, experimental techniques, and transdisciplinary collaboration – we participate in the shaping of the possible. We help seed the future.

The Medium Is the Message

Film’s formal and technical elements have the ability to shift perception – literally.

Take the concept of mise-en-scène, a French term referring to the arrangement of everything that appears in the frame: actors, lighting, décor, costume, and composition. Unlike theater or literature, where the reader’s imagination fills in the blanks, film can be much more descriptive. The way a room is lit, the angle of a shot, the physical distance between characters – these are not incidental choices. They shape the viewer’s perception of the scene.

Jonathan Demme’s The Silence of the Lambs illustrates how these techniques can reflect and critique power dynamics. In an early scene, Jodie Foster’s character, FBI trainee Clarice Starling, is shown in an elevator surrounded by larger people, subtly emphasizing how physically small she is within a dominantly male profession. While male characters often tower in the frame and stare directly into the lens, she looks just off-axis, subtly making the audience feel her discomfort and vulnerability. It’s not a film about gender politics in law enforcement and yet it speaks volumes without saying a single word.

In other words, a film’s aesthetic choices have the power to shape meaning. A tight close-up can make a public issue feel intimate. A handheld camera can add urgency or realism. A bird’s-eye view can provoke detachment or a sense of collective entrapment.

Given film’s powerful confluence of narrative and technique, it becomes clear that supporting filmmakers is not simply a matter of backing art for art’s sake. It’s a strategic investment in cultural infrastructure. Much like roads or schools, storytelling shapes how people move through the world – what they think is achievable, who they believe they can become, and how they understand others.

This is why The Yogi Foundation has chosen to invest in filmmaking. By supporting creators who are pushing the boundaries of visual storytelling, we are not only promoting artistic innovation – we are laying the groundwork for cultural shifts that begin with the imagination and ripple outward into public consciousness.

At its best, film doesn’t just depict reality. It bends it, reframes it, and ultimately expands the scope of what people believe is possible.

Reframing the Frame

Investing in film is a powerful step for any philanthropic entity seeking to shift public consciousness. Film has the power to illuminate injustice, humanize the abstract, and alter perception itself. It doesn’t merely reflect the world – it suggests new ways to inhabit it.

By supporting filmmakers who are daring enough to reimagine the world, we signal our belief that change begins in the mind. The stories we tell today determine the futures we build tomorrow.