‘Filmanthropist’ Uses Movies for Social Change

Ted Leonsis, who produced a documentary called “Nanking,” about the rapes and murders that took place in that Chinese city, sees a future for “filmanthropy,” reports The Washington Post.

The movie relates the story of the 300,000 Chinese killed, raped, and tortured in 1937 and 1938 by the Japanese Imperial Army and the 200,000 people saved by a group of Westerners who created a “safe zone” within the city.

Mr. Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Capitals hockey team, paid $2-million for the film to be made, handpicked the director and actors, and helped with the editing. The movie is now showing at the Sundance Film Festival, in Utah, and Mr. Leonsis is hoping it will be shown in theaters and on television.

“It’s where you can shed light on a big issue,” said Mr. Leonsis. “It brings together philanthropy and understanding how media works. You’re going to see a lot of people doing this because a studio probably wouldn’t do a story like this.”

For more on the link between film and philanthropy, read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage.

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