Bonsai People: The Vision of Muhammad Yunus (2011)

What if you could harness the power of the free market to solve the problems of poverty, hunger, and inequality? To some, it sounds impossible. But Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus is doing exactly that. BONSAI PEOPLE celebrates Yunus' extraordinary humanitarian work, which started by lending $27 to 42 people out of his own pocket and has now grown to helping 1 out of every 1,000 people on Earth. Yunus has created a mirror image of conventional banking--loan small not big, loan to women not men, loan rural not urban, loan to the poor not the rich. But he didn't stop there. Whenever he sees a problem he starts a business, in a mix between business and social work, which he terms "social business." Yunus tackles some of the world's most vexing problems from healthcare to education to alternative energy and demonstrates to the world that complex problems sometimes do have simple solutions. A free market with a social conscience--Microcredit is just the tip of the iceberg!

Director's Statement

When I read that Muhammad Yunus won the Nobel Peace Prize, I knew I had another film to make because I have always been committed to telling stories about people who are making a difference. And here was one man who has gone from helping 42 women with $27 dollars to currently helping 8 million.

When I first arrived at the Grameen Bank. I was shocked as I stepped off the elevator as Yunus happened to be in the hall and he actually approached me and said, "Hi, what's your name and where are you from?" I didn't even have a meeting with him but he's just that accessible and friendly.

Like most people at the time, I had only heard news of the Grameen Bank, but as I spent time there I was blown away - he was running over 40 companies. After having made two films on the drug companies, I was especially interested to hear how he was tackling the problem of getting healthcare into the hands of the poor. He has opened over 40 clinics many with onsite labs and pharmacies and even provides health insurance plans for $1 for a family of seven per month.

So I realized I had a much bigger story to tell and I spent over two years gathering information and footage on his different programs. I chose to follow the companies that I thought the world could learn the most from.

Bonsai People - The Vision of Muhammad Yunus is a story of the philosophy and impact of a world visionary who has taken simple ideas and found a way to solve some of the world's most complex challenges.

Holly Mosher Biography

Holly Mosher is an award winning filmmaker and honors graduate from NYU. She produced commercials and features, Lady in the Box and Reeseville before deciding to work exclusively on projects inspiring positive change. In 2001, The Hollywood Reporter recognized her as an up-and-coming indie producer. In 2004 Holly had her directorial debut with Hummingbird, an inspiring documentary about two non-profits in Brazil that work with street children and women who suffer domestic violence. Hummingbird won numerous awards, including Best Human Rights Documentary in Rome and Best Short for Children's Advocacy at the Artivist Film Festival.

In various producing roles, she has contributed to films on healthcare - Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety and Side Effects; women's issues -- Maybe Baby, the environment -- Vanishing of the Bees, and election issues -- Free For All and Pay 2 Play. Bonsai People - The Vision of Muhammad Yunus is her latest passion project.

Bonsai People Characters

Muhammad Yunus

Muhammad Yunus founded the Grameen Bank to give microcredit loans to the poorest of the poor. But he didn't stop there... Yunus' Grameen companies, which are "social businesses" empower the poor by providing access to everything from healthcare to alternative energy.

Grameen Shakti is the fastest growing solar energy company in the world. And Muhammad Yunus is one of seven people to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Sumon

Bonsai People follows a new bank branch being set up, so we see just what it takes to create microcredit from the ground up. As Sumon, our new bank manager says, "A lot of change comes from the social work we do." We are taken through the basic steps and get to see the challenges they face.

Shahnaj

Shahnaj lost her mother and was married off at 10. We meet her after a string of tragedies and see how she uses microcredit to turn her life around. However, due to previous financial debt, her road to recovery is long and bumpy.

We witness her making tough choices on a long-term payoff - instead of fixing her leaky roof, she's plants trees that take 5 years to yield. Through her story, we see why Yunus felt the importance of moving beyond microcredit into other fields such as healthcare.

Melancho

Melancho starts the program as a shy young woman, after a year, she has gained confidence as she learns to manage her finances. She says, "It feels good having my own money. I have 2,000 Taka ($30) in savings now."

With time, she begins to enjoy her position as the chairwoman of her village bank center. Her family has been able to buy a cell phone which helps them save money and time in their business.

Ayesha

Ayesha is in Grameen's "struggling member" program. She took an $8 zero interest loan, but two years later still struggles to pay it back. It has helped her to stop begging as she sells vegetables door to door, providing much needed food for her family. However, she is fighting to get beyond survival.

She lives crowded in one room with her kids and when her son breaks his arm, she is once again held back from moving out of poverty.

Surjobano

What happens when your gender, age and social status determine your quality of life? After a lifetime of hard labor, Surjobano, now a widow over 50 who has chosen begging as a means to survive for the past 13 years, bringing shame to her family.

When she joins Grameen's "struggling members program" it's a step in the right direction.

Anarkali

Anarkali's story adds humor and reveals a surprising sense of business savvy. She personifies Yunus' belief "that all people are born entrepreneurs, it's part of being a human being."

She even muses that others talk about her saying "Why does she have 20 saris, when I only have one?" She and her husband have a winning combination of teamwork and solidarity that is seen in the most successful borrowers.

Aroti

Aroti is microcredit at its finest. Over the past 15 years she's has created several income streams from selling irrigation water to renting out homes. Both of her sons attend university.

Currently she gives back to society by sitting on her local village council, which is rare for a woman of rural Bangladesh. Exemplifying the message of women's empowerment that access to credit provides, she fights actively for other women's rights.

Trailer