Time has a great article on that very topic and looks to see if a film can really make a difference in the world we live in.  In doing this, they mention the work we do here at TakePart.com and the awesome movies that come from Participant Productions:

Chicago 10 was financed by Participant Productions, founded in 2004 on a “double bottom line” premise. “We want to make a social return and a commercial return on our investment,” says Participant president Ricky Strauss. The production company has backed 39 other movies, both documentaries and features, including Syriana and The Kite Runner, and has more than 20 films in development.

All its movies have social-action campaigns: Participant encourages audiences to visit its website takepart.com and register to vote, contact Congress or urge divestment from Sudan. About 2.7 million people have gone to the activism section of the site, 400,000 of them to calculate their carbon emissions. After the 2005 release of Syriana, Clooney’s movie on the oil industry, the audience sent 8,000 e-mails to Congress. [TIME]

Of course this isn’t always the case and the article goes on to mention some cases where films may not have made the biggest splash.

I am of the belief, however,  that even reaching one person counts (albeit not when it comes to the bottom line). Even if some films only preach to the choir and reach audiences that already believe, those of us that are working to make the world a better place need encouragement, need to be inspired and need to find other folks who share our values. Trying to overcome certain systems and practices isn’t always easy - and seeing a film that portrays that can help motivate us to keep on going.

Be sure to check out the article and if you haven’t seen a film that inspired you to act - and check one out.

To learn more about how you can connect with Takepart.com - again!

And because I do believe that a film can change the world - check out some trailers from some of the films mentioned in the article: