Shreya Patel tells stories that inspire change and community
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Young Women in Business Toronto (YWiB) aims to provide our diverse community of young, self-identified women with genuine career advice, encouragement, and examples of local role models. That's why, for the next few months, we’ll be interviewing both career professionals and entrepreneurs that our community can be inspired by and learn from.
Shreya Patel: Activist, Filmmaker, and Entrepreneur
Shreya, can you give us a bit of a bio of yourself and your career over the past few years?
I am a former International model turned filmmaker, actress, human rights activist, and mental health advocate. I’ve been drawn to the arts and social work since I was quite young, so it was natural for me to be a storyteller, mixing my interest and activism work into my film projects.
My career switch from modeling to becoming a storyteller happened when I was traveling around Asia for work and during my time off as a model. I previously volunteered with Mother Teresa’s Orphanage and the Make-A-Wish Foundation Mumbai Chapter as a Celebrity Wish Granter. During my visit with children in the government hospital, I witnessed huge differences between the chapters in Canada and India. In Canada, the dreams of a terminally ill child were often to meet famous icons or to go to Disney World. In India, the dreams were to get crayons, bicycles, small toys, etc. I also noticed that there were children on the ground beside the hospital for eight days straight, waiting to be treated for their life-threatening illnesses. This was happening because there was no space in the hospital. Their parents would come up to me and ask me for help, and I felt helpless.
This experience led me to an awakening of sorts, and a newfound drive to tell stories of the people who needed empowerment for their voices. When I came back to Canada, I went back to school for documentary and film, as well as enrolled myself in acting courses. It was intriguing to learn the psychology of why people do what they do and acting helped me with my burning curiosity to understand human nature.
In 2019, you released Girl Up, a documentary film about domestic human trafficking. Tell us about your journey to working in film as well as what drew you to documentaries. Why did you choose to create a film about human trafficking?
Domestic human trafficking has been happening for years in Canada, but I first learned about this crime when I was in school for documentary and film in 2015. I had seven months to make a documentary, a requirement to graduate the program. Initially, I was going to make it on a murder case, but the trial was postponed to the following year. With only two months to go, I had to go through a vigorous casting process where I met some very interesting people, but the one who grabbed my attention was a girl who was very timid and shy when I first met her. She did not talk much. She was introduced to me through an NGO and all I knew was that she was coming out of sex trade. Halfway through the interview, I realized that I was interviewing a survivor of domestic human trafficking. I was in utter shock. Since making my documentary, Girl Up, I have worked with countless survivors and have had the chance to immerse myself in their stories, and I want to give voice to those who do not have one.
I first made the 26-minute short documentary all by myself (shot, edited, and produced) when Ontario did not even recognize domestic human trafficking as a crime. It took two years to screen it because I had no guidance or support on how to distribute or release it. I could not wait any longer, so I self-released it in a small theatre. In 2017, Bill C96 – Girl Next Door Act was passed, and at that point I extended my documentary to 50 minutes.
The feature has been showcased at the 18th Annual South Asian Film Festival and I partnered with Toronto International Film Festival to showcase it at the Civic Action Summit where hundreds of civic leaders including national security, elected officials, senior business executives, and community advocates used the film to start a conversation on how to combat human trafficking. The documentary also had a public screening at TIFF Lightbox’s Private Theatre . Girl Up has since been showcased at many community screenings and conferences. It had a special mention in the Forbes Article called “Cracking The $150 Billion Business Of Human Trafficking”.
Wow, that’s amazing! Shreya, what has been your approach to advocacy—personally, professionally, and through your films?
When it comes to advocacy, I believe that if we do not agree or believe in something or it is against our values, we need to speak up about it. We should not complain and wait for someone else to take the action.
I am a very passionate artist and my desire to shed light on topics that I advocate for has always been showcased through my films. I believe that art has the power to heal people as well as bring new thoughts and ideas to the viewers. Visual medium can be a very effective tool for spreading education and awareness, which is why my films cover these topics.
Has there ever been a story you’ve encountered while filming that changed your life?
I’ve actually encountered a few stories that impacted my life deeply. The most recent was while I was making my documentary, Unity, which showcases 66 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. I learned so much about the disparity that is between developed and developing countries.
In some areas of countries like Kenya, they do not have access to enough drinking water and space to quarantine. Many have to walk really far away every few days to dig holes in the ground to fetch fresh drinking water and if they are late, they will miss their turn until next time. When I spoke to the boy from Kenya and saw his submission to the documentary, I had to stop the production of the documentary because I was not able to stop crying. I felt so privileged to be living in Canada, where drinking water easily comes out of my tap. Another story was from Venezuela where the woman who submitted her story spoke about their current health care system and how they earn $4 a month.
My goal is to one day be able to go back and help these specific folks from these countries to live a better life. My heart breaks to know their stories…they taught me to be grateful every day.
You shared a personal story as part of the Bell Let’s Talk campaign. Why did you feel it was important to speak publicly about your mental health journey?
Speaking about mental health has always felt like a taboo. I suffered severe anxiety and PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) due to a few traumatic experiences, eventually discovering within myself an incorrigible desire to fight back to get my life in order. I have recovered and I am a mental health advocate to help break the stigma surrounding this topic.
Being part of the Bell Let’s Talk family for the past three years has been impactful and heartwarming. I have experienced so much healing by just being associated with them. Sharing our stories on a platform like Let’s Talk has made the citizens of our nation feel heard and seen. Sharing has a power in healing as we realize that we are not alone. I have had the opportunity to spread awareness by sitting on panels and collaborating with organizations to discuss mental health and how to recover in a safe, non-judgmental sphere. I hope my story will positively impact people and encourage them to speak more openly about their mental health struggles.
Looking for mental health resources? Check out the free BounceBack® program, offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA)
As a follow up, can you talk about how you were able to identify that PTSD was affecting your life, and what led you to accept support?
When I experienced an incident of a public shooting in a crowded area, I saw many people running for their lives and screaming to find their loved ones. Since that time, every time I see a group of people running fast, my heart just stops and I freeze. Same thing happens when I hear screaming, even if it is kids in the park.
For me, I needed time off from everything and went home to my family who lives near the water. Nature has a power to heal. I would sit near the water and in nature for several hours by myself trying to process what happened.
I still struggle with some symptoms of PTSD, but I have learned to align myself and change my life around by meditating and learning about theta state affirmations.
You recently released a film entitled “Unity”. Can you tell us about it and some challenges, accomplishments, and personal learnings that came about as you worked on this film?
During the pandemic, a group of my friends from around the world were collectively feeling low and alone in isolation. I felt helpless. Words of support were not enough, Zoom calls weren’t enough, so I decided the only thing I could do was to use that time to make a documentary remotely that showcased how the citizens of the world are all going through the same thing. I gathered over 100 cast members from 66 countries on 6 different continents with the help of the Global Forbes U30 community and Global Shapers Hub and made the documentary showcasing the plight of the human spirit.
Unity also explores the disparity that exists between industrialized and developing nations. It's a love letter film that I made for the world to realize that no matter what country we come from, what language we speak, and what religion we follow, we are going through the same pandemic and we are all in this together. What separates us is bringing us together in unity. The Canada Art Council gave us a grant to complete the project, as well we also raised funds from the Actors Fund Canada and the Artist Relief Fund.
I faced some challenges with directing remotely and learning how to trust a global team who I have never met, but with time I’ve overcome these challenges and now consider this project one of the best experiences of my life.
Shreya, last question: What is Window Dreams Productions, and how can our community get involved?
Window Dreams Production is an award-winning production house that specializes in impact-production. Our internationally acclaimed leadership works onsite or remotely and this is precisely why we differ from other independent production houses. We have a global team that has completed two projects in the middle of the pandemic by working completely remote. We are committed to creativity and storytelling of the chosen topic.
Our typical projects include documentaries, music videos, films, and spoken word poems. We will soon be launching Digital Heirloom©: an initiative where everyday individuals and families can hire us to make mini-documentaries about their family tree, which can be passed around to their future generations.
The YWiB community can contact with us by sending us a message through www.windowdreams.ca or connecting with us on Instagram at www.instagram.com/windowdreamsproductions
Connect with Shreya: Personal Website Instagram
Shreya Patel is a model turned social entrepreneur, actress, filmmaker, activist, and mental health advocate who uses her visual storytelling skills to give a voice to the less empowered and the underdog, she has, since childhood, dedicated her life to not only a professional career in film and the arts but also in social work. She is an honoree of the Women’s Achiever Award 2020 for Youth Leadership presented to her by the City of Toronto.