Ghandi's on board

The Skoll Foundation has included the Hollywood contingent in its Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University in England this week.

Harnessing the power of the silver screen, the Palo Alto nonprofit has rounded up Sir Ben Kingsley, star of the film "Ghandi;" Jake Eberts, "Ghandi's" producer; Peter Samuelson, founder of the First Star Public Policy Initiative and producer of the movie "Arlington Road;" and Jeff Skoll, founder of the Skoll Foundation, first president of San Jose's eBay Inc. and CEO of Participant Productions, a Los Angeles-based production company making socially relevant feature films and documentaries.

These folks are talking about using media to help bring about social change. And given the world's love of the big screen, they seem to be tapping into the right channel. The forum focuses on "Making Networks Work" and how social entrepreneurs can use media, academic and funding networks to effect change.

By the way, did you know Mr. Kingsley was on a short list along with Dustin Hoffman to play the lead in "Ghandi," which was made in 1982 and partly financed by the Indian government?