Highlights
Screening of the movie, I am Belmaya
The screening of the movie, ‘I am Belmaya’ aims to inspire Nepali youth on gaining hope and aspiration for greater achievement by shedding light on Belmaya Nepali’s courage and resilience to fight for independence and her dream of film making, using the camera as a lever to escape a life of poverty and domestic violence. The story of Belmaya is an uplifting tale of determination and passion that teaches audiences that anything is possible with enough commitment and vision.
The screening of the movie will be followed by short remarks of Belmaya Nepali, and an informal interaction with the interested audiences.
About the documentary
I am Belmaya is a feature documentary spanning 14 years, about an uneducated Dalit woman in Nepal, who takes up the camera to tell her story. Dominated by her husband, her family and society, Belmaya is desperate for independence. Living in a small, dark room with her abusive husband and their baby daughter, Belmaya at 21, has given up hope of finding happiness.
Rewind to 2006, when Belmaya, then a feisty teenager living in a girls’ home in Pokhara, participated in a photo project. Impassioned and inspired, she was eager to change her discriminatory world through photography. But that window closed when the home locked away her camera.
Now she gets a second chance, this time to train in documentary filmmaking. But are her resentful husband and conservative community ready for this? An inspirational and moving tale of rebellion, courage and hope, shot over five years, as Belmaya battles to takes charge of her story.