Showcasing women’s power and poetry

Recording the lives and daily work of rural farmers in This is How We Rise, the International Fund for Agricultural Development [IFAD] hopes to raise awareness of the potential marginalized women have in the fight against global hunger. 

Partnering with Somesuch & Co., IFAD’s ad is both stark and stylized, allowing the beauty and power of women to appear at the forefront. Without ever describing what’s happening with dialogue, the ad relies on the powerful voice of Maya Angelou as she recites her poem Still I Rise.

Women have long been underserved in agriculture, and this film seeks to showcase the power that women have to revolutionize the industry and grow more food for a hungry world. The locally-cast women are living the experiences shown, and the director, Camille Summers-Vallie, stated “they’re real farmers, fisherwomen, mothers, sisters, friends and community leaders. It was deeply humbling to be in their company." 

Utilizing a documentary style, This is How We Rise, is a soulful, softly poignant piece about women’s everyday lives. Somesuch & Co. has worked to present the strength of marginalized women through a kind and direct lens, not shying away from hardship, but focusing on women persevering and thriving in whatever environment they live in.