Promoting
Human Rights through
fact-based documentaries

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Changing the world
one documentary at a time.

THE WHY FOUNDATION is a non-profit media organization that supports sustainable development by securing free access to reliable information for millions of people around the world. We produce and distribute documentaries & multimedia content about human rights, democracy, justice and equality.

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19M
YOUTUBE VIEWS
100M
VIEWS PER FILM
191
COUNTRIES
100+
FILMS AVAILABLE
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1. Production and acquisition of independent films
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2. Distribution through broadcasting, outreach activities and online platforms
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3. Engagement and influence through events and talks
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4. Action and change at personal, social and political levels
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Our Work

News

Russian Channel Hits 100,000 views as Kremlin-Backed Disinformation Campaigns Continue

June 2, 2023

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New Partner TATLI to Raise Awareness about Human Trafficking in Tanzania

June 2, 2023

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Film of the Month: Tomorrow Comes Yesterday Chronicles the Devastating Persecution of Crimean Tatars

June 2, 2023

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Russian Channel Hits 100,000 views as Kremlin-Backed Disinformation Campaigns Continue

New Partner TATLI to Raise Awareness about Human Trafficking in Tanzania

Film of the Month: Tomorrow Comes Yesterday Chronicles the Devastating Persecution of Crimean Tatars

World Press Freedom Day: 5 Documentaries You Should Watch to Stay Informed

Mette Meets with Partners in Kenya to Explore How Films Can Educate on FGM/C

Democratising Knowledge Online Through YouTube Language Channels

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Three awards: an Oscar, a Peabody, and a YouTube platinum.

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Film of the Month

The Recycling Myth

Tom Costello & Benedict Wermter

In the last few years the plastic pollution crisis has become an international scandal. Pictures of dead animals, littered rivers, and polluted oceans have shocked the world. The plastic packaging industry has declared it knows how to solve the problem: recycling. Increasingly, bottles, boxes and sachets are proudly stamped with the words ‘100% recyclable’ as brands compete to reassure consumers that their packaging purchases are guilt-free. But if recycling is really the solution, why is the world pumping out more virgin plastic than ever before? Could recycling really be the ultimate greenwash? We follow the money into an industry that’s designed to hide the problem rather than solve it. We track the black-market brokers who hunt for countries to dump our plastic, waste moguls getting rich by burning trash, and the organised criminals for whom waste smuggling is now as lucrative as human trafficking. And we show how some of the biggest consumer-goods brands on earth spin the recycling fairytale as a way to allow them to continue polluting without consequence. As we all pick up the bill for a world drowning in plastic, the film asks: who is getting rich?
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Where We Are

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THE WHY works with partners across the world to extend free access to information for everyone.

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