Vote for Sightsavers in the 2021 Charity Film Awards

Two of Sightsavers’ films have been submitted for the 2021 Charity Film Awards, which have joined forces with the Smiley Movement, the world’s biggest celebration of cause-based filmmaking.  

The Charity Film Awards celebrate films created by charities that increase awareness, change attitudes and behaviours, or raise donations for good causes. This year Sightsavers has entered the competition with two films, and voting is now open to help them reach the awards shortlist. 

To vote for our films, click on the links below, click the vote button and add your details to cast your vote. Then share on social media so your friends and family can vote too.

• VOTE: Trachoma elimination in The Gambia 

• VOTE: A message from students in Sierra Leone

Once the shortlist has been chosen, the films will be reviewed by a panel of judges, who are chosen based on their experience and expertise. Winners will be announced at a ceremony in 2022.   

Both films were created in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can learn more about them below.

Trachoma elimination in The Gambia 

In April 2021, after three decades of hard work, the World Health Organization confirmed that The Gambia had eliminated trachoma as a public health problem, making it the second country in sub-Saharan Africa to eliminate the disease. Sightsavers celebrated this historic achievement by sharing the story of The Gambia’s journey to elimination.  

The film highlights that this achievement is possible for other countries who are still working towards their own elimination goals. It aims to inspire these countries to act, and shows that through hard work and collaboration, they can eliminate trachoma, meaning millions of children can grow up without fear of the disease, and communities can be free from the pain and blindness it can cause. 

A message from students in Sierra Leone 

The pandemic is not the only world crisis we’re facing today. We’re also living through a global learning crisis. Children with disabilities, particularly girls, are missing out on school, and some who have had their education interrupted may never return to school. Sightsavers’ Equal World campaign created a film to highlight the need for urgent action. 

The film features a group of students with disabilities at their school in Sierra Leone. The students talk about the global learning crisis and encourage viewers to sign Sightsavers’ open letter calling on world leaders to invest in inclusive education. 21,526 people from 119 countries backed our campaign by signing the open letter, which closed for signatures in June 2021.