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Feature Film
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"Sari Soldiers"The film "Sari Soldiers" will present the stories of six Nepali women, including a Royal Nepal Army soldier, a Maoist, a mother of a "disappeared" daughter, an anti-Maoist village activist, a human rights attorney, and a street protestor, brings a different perspective to the crisis. By showing the perspective of women positioned on different sides of the conflict, The Sari Soldiers looks at both the larger political crises in Nepal, as well as the struggles of individual women in Nepali society today. Remarkable on their own, the stories of these six women woven together paint a grim picture of the profound crisis the Himalayan Kingdom is undergoing and a few extraordinary women who may shape the fate of the country. Filmmaker Julie Bridgham has constructed the documentary from over 190 hours of footage. Julie is a New-York based filmmaker whose previous films have included "Children of Hope: Transforming Lives in a Himalayan Kingdom," completed in cooperation with Nepalese Youth Opportunity Fund (NYOF). |
Filmmaker Julie Bridgham of Butter Lamp Films's statement: "Having lived in Nepal off and on for the last five years, I have seen the war escalate at an alarming rate, particularly in the rural areas of the country. In the process of filming other documentaries in some of Nepal's most rural regions, I became aware of how many villages are now completely run by women, as many of the men migrated to other countries (including Iraq) for work, or to escape the crossfire of the Maoists and government security forces battling each other." Liberating Girls from Indentured Servitude | In the Dang District in western Nepal, many indigenous families from the Tharu ethnic group subsist as farm laborers. Unable to make ends meet, they have been forced into a desperate trade—selling their daughters to work in faraway cities as bonded servants in private homes or as dishwashers in tea houses. Some of these children are as young as five years old. "Children of Hope: Transforming Lives in a Himalayan Kingdom" portrays the Indentured Daughters program. of NYOF. Contact NYOF if you would like to request the documentary ( videotape). They ask for a $15 donation domestically (and $25 for overseas orders) to cover processing and mailing costs. |
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