Sweet Dream

The money raised will go to the "BIG DREAM” not-for-profit organization, whose mission is to raise awareness about NVC.

A music video with images from Big Dream, music by Fred Sly

Here are the testimonials of 2 inmates from Portland (Oregon) Columbia River prison.

They learned NVC in prison.

Joshua realized no one needs violence

Brandon is aiming at becoming an NVC trainer after he is out of prison on May 16th!

What can we do with €200,000?

· Film a 52-minute documentary in 5 countries.

· Work with a team of professionals paid at union rates.

· Complete the project in 10 months.

With €300,000, we can:

· Film a 90-minute documentary in 8 countries, which will demonstrate the global impact of NVC in a format that's easier to project in cinema theatres.

· Work with a team of professionals paid at union rates.

· Complete the project in 12 to 14 months.

With €400,000, we will have almost realized our "BIG DREAM," and we will be able to give you a 90-minute documentary that shows the global impact of NVC, and we can dare to:

· Get graphic artists involved to explain the 4 steps, and animate the transitions.

· Get professional musicians and singers involved to compose an original music score.

· Translate the documentary into 4 languages.

· Get famous actors to contribute their thoughts.

The public will be introduced to the work of Marshall Rosenberg and the global impact of NVC.

You are reading this because you believe in change and are curious about the world you live in. We need YOU to help us spread the word about, and promote Nonviolent Communication (NVC). NVC is a powerful process for peace accessible to everyone, created in the 60s by an American psychologist, Marshall Rosenberg. Since then, NVC has continued to spread internationally.

Our Project: Produce a documentary about Marshall Rosenberg and Nonviolent Communication (NVC). Demonstrate the concrete results of NVC in action in different domains, and its global impact.

Our Aim: Help raise public awareness, by spreading the message to as many people as possible, about Nonviolent Communication—an instrument for overcoming individual conditioning, and a vector for social change.

We Need: To gain your support and your trust so that we can raise enough funds to set this project in motion.

We need your help to get to €100,000, so that we have a minimum to begin the project.

We’re realistic, it's going to take a lot of money, energy and work to accomplish this international project, but our determination cannot be shaken, and we have complete trust in your support.

A documentary like "Tomorrow" ("Demain") by Mélanie Laurent and Cyril Dion, the film that won the Best Documentary Award during the Cesar Film Award 2016, managed to raise almost €450,000, thanks to crowdfunding, and it cost a total of €900,000.

So your support is decisive—whether you contribute €10, €100, or €10000, you all mean a lot to this project and in our hearts. What matters isn't the amount you contribute, but your enthusiasm in spreading the word to those around you, in inviting your friends to contribute as well, in reaching out to the most people possible.

Geneviève et Saleem, the project initiators

For years, director Geneviève has been convinced of NVC’s great potential as a subject for a documentary. Having attended several introductory workshops about NVC with people like Michelle Guez, Pascale Mohlo, Anne Bourrit, Isabelle Padovani, and Isabelle Desplats, she began to write up a project about NVC.

Saleem Ebrahim, NVC trainer, was also thinking about the how to raise awareness about NVC on a larger scale. Saleem knew Marshall Rosenberg well, and he has been active in the NVC network for many years.

After Marshall’s death, Saleem and Genevieve met, and they did the obvious thing; they decided to work together to kick-start the documentary project.

With Caroline, Lou, Patricia and Malika, they set up a pilot group and started doing exhaustive research.

Today, the project is in full swing, in several countries: India, the United States, Brazil, Israel and Palestine, France, Sweden, Senegal, and also in very different domains, such as the family, schools, prisons, justice, businesses, and warzones.

Everywhere she investigated, Geneviève found eloquent illustrations of the extent to which NVC can be at the root of major transformations. First, at an individual level, when people become aware of their conditioning and how to get past it, and then on a collective scale when NVC becomes an instrument for cooperation in businesses, for dialogue between "enemies," a way to defuse tension in prisons, and a lever for change in considerably reducing delinquency rates and repeat offences.

Marshall Rosenberg, an American psychologist who died in February 2015, had a dream, a huge one! Convinced that it’s in man’s basic nature to want to contribute to the well-being of others, that violence is not inevitable, he developed a powerful process for social change in the 60s: Nonviolent Communication (NVC).

With him, other people around the world have been pursuing this same dream, and this growing number of messengers for peace shows every day that another world is possible with NVC. A world where tension is defused, where everyone is welcome despite their differences, a world where outsiders are not seen as enemies, where each person's needs are taken into account...

Today, more than ever, when there is only war and violence on the news, we too have this dream, inspiring us to make this film and go out to meet ambassadors for peace all around the world. We want to spread the word about Marshall Rosenberg's work, showing the work that NVC actors have been doing on the ground, and the most striking examples where NVC has succeeded in transforming human relationships.

Read the biography on the CNVC page

Saleem Ebrahim's definition of 'NVC in a nutshell'

NonViolent Communication: A Universal Language

a Lifestyle Choice Dedicated to Peace

NVC is a lifestyle choice, giving access to a new space for interacting with people, where everyone’s needs can be met. It creates an exchange where cooperation replaces a dominant/dominated relationship. NVC revolutionizes customary methods of communication. When we communicate we are forever trying to be right, we aim to convince other people of this by asking them to see things our way, we use our power to convince, contradict or pressure them. NVC is the opposite of what our education has taught us, and allows us to free ourselves from conditioning by learning how to eliminate judgment, to identify and hear our own needs and the needs of others hidden behind their words, to practice "deep listening," to develop a true sense of "empathy." It's not just about silencing or denying one's own disapproval or anger, but instead about managing to express it in a way that has the potential to be heard, instead of cutting off communication.

The NCV teachings are like an introduction to a new way of being, a new language, it gives you access to a different level of consciousness. It proposes a simple method for beginning* and then perfecting regular habits for bringing about real change.

The final goal of NVC, on a global scale, is to start on a route to social change, for the number of people using this method to reach critical mass, to create the conditions for dialogue and peace, as much on a personal as on a collective level.

*The NVC process is made up of four main steps: Observation (without judgment), expressing Feelings, expressing Needs, Requesting (and not demanding).

Read the CNVC page: what is NVC

Jalila started NVC 10 years ago

“NVC is not an aim in itself, but a path toward your own humanity and toward the humanity of others. By exploring our inner world, we learn to recognize our own tensions, to understand them and to find in ourselves solutions for defusing them… Learning to resolve our own conflicts is key toward resolving the conflicts that we have with others”

Anne Bourrit, NVC trainer

translator and close friend of Marshall Rosenberg

“For me, NVC is a compass and helps me to stay on course.

First, for keeping true to myself, even though many things, thanks to my education and our current way of living, encouraged me to function without listening to my deepest aspirations.

Keeping true to a sincere attentiveness to others - that precious 'other,' who makes it possible for me to grow and exceed my limits.

NVC also has also made it possible for me to see the extent to which, in reality, being a part of this collective and magnificent adventure is about keeping our hearts open to the humanity of every single person, and no matter what the circumstance."

NVC has transformed their personal lives, here are their testimonials:

This documentary will SHOW the success of NVC in different countries and in different domains, sometimes in highly challenging situations.

From India to sub-Saharan Africa, Brazil to the United States, from Europe to the Middle-East, we will show the successful initiatives that are transforming people's lives. We will show the outstanding successes in education, justice, prisons, businesses, and in warzones.

Our aim? Make the power of NVC felt throughout the world.

Show HOW this communication process works, and why it's "revolutionary." Show WHY this process has been such a growing success, giving access to a different level of consciousness and giving us the strength to bring about true social change.

Throughout the world, men and women are putting the NVC process into practice. We will seek out actors in NonViolent Communication, wherever they work and in every domain.

We will seek out people whose lives have been changed by NVC. Hundreds of trainers work all over the world teaching NVC, we will watch them in action throughout this documentary.

Education Chapter

We will go into schools where student, teacher and parent interactions have been transformed thanks to NVC. With many NVC actors in schools in Sweden and in France, we will document the everyday lives of institutions using NVC. We will see the concrete results of NVC in classrooms; how students, teachers, supervisors, nurses and parents change thanks to NVC and manage to express their feelings and their needs, improving everyone's motivation and well-being. Thanks to the success had by teams trained in NVC, several educational projects have garnered state support.

Marshall with Marianne and Annika, trainers specialized in "NVC and Education."

Business chapter

In the business world, we will visit companies that have adopted NVC and succeeded in implementing a new kind of management, and a new kind of professional interaction. In France, we will set foot in a multinational that has been training thousands of employees in NVC for over 15 years. We will learn how, in the United States, NVC is being used in business transactions and even in political negotiations, radically transforming them.

NVC has transformed their professional lives,

here are their testimonials:

(These images were recorded via Skype, please do listen to these important testimonials)

Prison chapter

We will go into prisons in the United States to follow the path of inmates who are learning NVC. For 30 years since the start of the "prison project", Lucy has dedicated her life to getting NVC implemented in the prison system. Today, in several states in the American West, NVC is taught to prisoners and it is encountering growing success both on the level of the atmosphere within the prisons and on the rate of recidivism. We will follow the impressive work of NVC trainers with the prisoners, we will share the daily life of prisoners who are learning NVC, we will meet Dow, who is a former inmate himself who has become an NVC trainer.

Marshall Rosenberg with NVC prison facilitators. Portland. USA.

He learned NVC in prison, here is his testimonial:

Dow discovered NVC from behind bars. When he left prison, he continued working with NVC. Years later, he even became a trainer. He tells us how NVC, by giving him back his humanity, completely changed his life. (the video of Dow was recorded via Skype)

Justice chapter

In Brazil, we will go into favelas to witness sessions of restorative justice using the NVC process. This new kind of justice is an alternative to punitive justice, and has been so successful in Brazil that the Brazilian Justice Minister has added NVC to the national agenda.

Dominic Barter organizes restorative circles with NVC

Conflict zone chapter

We will meet African rebels who have had NVC training to learn a new kind of dialogue. We will see the impressive work done by NVC trainers in warzones.

In Israel and Palestine, we will see how Jews and Arabs have come together on new terms, and have invented a new way of interacting thanks to NVC.

ANAT's testimonial: NVC is my only hope!

Anat is Jewish and has been practicing NVC in Israel with Palestinians.

(Skype Recording)

For over a year, Geneviève has been working intensively in her free time to prepare this project. Taking on a subject like "NVC in the world" is a huge task, including finding NVC initiatives, contacting actors of NVC all over the world, writing the documentary project and preparing an international crowdfunding campaign.

As for Saleem, he has dedicated all of his free time and money to bringing the project into being and financing the launch of the crowdfunding campaign.

Simon Kobayashi has thrown himself into editing work with a tireless passion, and Jean Baptiste Lamontre has contributed to filming and video animation with total enthusiasm.

Caroline Ader Lamy, Lou Inglebert, Malika Elkord and Patricia Salgon have given much of their time, energy and enthusiasm to supporting BIG DREAM.

Many people from the NVC network have shown their solidarity and their support. Genevieve would like to give special thanks to Michele Guez, Lucy Leu, Fred Sly, Yoram Mosenzon, Anne Bourrit, Laurence Bruschweiler, Catherine Schmider and Anat Asia for their advice and support, Sophie Rougevin Baville, Mary Mann, Angelo Tonolli and Andromeda Tait for their huge effort translating, Vincent Guillon, Lea Dufour and Isabelle Constant for their informed and decisive support.

If we have put so much energy into working on this project, it's because we are absolutely confident that it's a project that can make a contribution and has a potential for change (both individual and collective).

Saleem Ebrahim: project leader

"Of Indian origin, born in Kenya and living in France for many years, I share NVC in the corporate world in the service of individual and collective change. My encounter with Marshall Rosenberg in 1999 made a major impact on me personally, and brought about radical change to my outlook. Each day, I measure the power of the process in a world undergoing change and which sometimes lacks direction. I am, accompanied by a team of enthusiasts, determined to make known the growing impact of NVC in the most diverse contexts, and with inspiring results. Marshall's work is that of a visionary - and a huge contribution to a newly emerging conscience."

Geneviève Roger: the director

"I am a director. I have worked for French national television stations, for travel and reporting programs, sometimes in prime time, I have had some amazing filming experiences, made some beautiful reports, crossed a few deserts, always in search of the human perspective. My website: www.genevieve-roger.fr

I encountered NVC in 2005, and it was a shock to my system! I became conscious of the fact that, until then, I had only seen the world as a "jackal"... in relation to power, in who is wrong and who is right.....For many years now, I have been exploring the effects of NVC on the personal as well as the collective level and I have felt the power of the process in many areas.

Marshall Rosenberg's death spurred an imperative urge to contribute towards making the NVC process more widely known. For over a year I have been actively investigating the concrete results of NVC in the world, if you agree to help us, I'll take you on a journey around the world with NCV as a horizon, a journey that promises to be exciting, upsetting even, at the heart of ongoing social change."

Simon Kobayashi: cameraman and film editor

"I have been working in audiovisual media for eight years, I am passionate about image, music and stories. In film in particular, I seek to explore what allows us to look at ourselves as we really are, behind the masks, without judgment.

When I began learning NVC in 2008, I realized that it was the missing piece I needed to start putting my most important values into action.

Participating in Geneviève Roger's project goes hand in hand with my desire to raise awareness about this approach and the human relationship this is already, even now, accelerating the transformations underway in social interactions."

Jean-Baptiste Lamontre: director of photography

"My encounter with cinema happened when I was really young. My step-father, who works in this field, showed me this path and I bulldozed my way in. I was very happy to discover that one could move, grow and transform with images and sound. And that it was possible to make a career out of that.

My partner introduced me to NVC during a year long seminar about the couple that we had followed together in Paris between 2014 and 2015. I was stunned by the power of this peace tool, of all that this gave me, in my relations with others and with myself.

So, when I knew that Geneviève was getting ready to shoot her documentary, I jumped at the opportunity, excited to spread NVC.

In my eyes, NVC is a vector of enlightenment, of peace and of consciousness. This is why I am very enthusiastic about participating in this project and to combine these two things that are so dear to me."

Pierre Verdez: director of photography

"Director of photography and director for 25 years, my professional activities have often brought me into contact with all kinds of people and environments. Each of these encounters has helped me grow, opened me to other cultures and other countries.

I have been collaborating with Geneviève Roger for years, and the films we've made together have been broadcast on France Télévision. They came out of the same need for real, strong human encounters. Today, I am very enthusiastic about the idea of contributing to the making of this documentary project about NonViolent Communication, which will inform the public about a tried and tested peace process. It's an ambitious project that gives my work meaning, and will be of use to everyone."

Lug Lebel: sound recordist, sound mixer

"I've been a sound designer and audio-naturalist for over 20 years, with experience ranging from social audiovisual projects to animal or scientific documentaries. Using my know-how and creativity to contribute to a world vibrating with a growing conscience and responsibility is important to me. Transmitting these vibrations is part of my personal path to development."