Synopsis
A story 14 years in the making, set in patriarchal Nepal, following an
uneducated young woman's transformational journey from subjugated wife
to documentary filmmaker.
Dominated by her husband, her family and society, Belmaya is
desperate for independence. But in much of Nepal, men rule and
women obey. Here, in one of the poorest nations on earth, women are
daughters, wives, mothers - but rarely individuals in their own right.
Born a Dalit (the lowest, ‘untouchable’ caste), orphaned at the age of
nine, and trapped in an abusive marriage with a 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. Picking up the camera once more, her old spark returns.
Determined to create a better life for her young daughter, Belmaya
gains the skills and confidence to forge a new path. But are her
resentful husband and conservative community ready for this?
Director Sue Carpenter says
“Injustice is invariably my chief motivator, particularly where women
and children are denied their voice, or where a dominating force uses
their power status to subjugate others. It has inspired me to write
articles, set up charities and projects, and now to make films.
The conflict between speaking your truth and judiciously keeping
your mouth shut strikes a particular chord for me. Having grown
up in a traditional, male-dominated household in Britain, where
emotions were held in, I identify with Belmaya’s desire to conform to
what society expects of her, yet being unable to suppress what she
fiercely feels.
In 2006, I went to live in Nepal for 9 months, where I led the My
World,
My View photo project. It was then that I met the spirited
teenage Belmaya. It wasn’t until the evening I left Nepal that I
saw her true vulnerability. She broke down in uncontrollable
tears. It touched me deeply. I felt she’d never before been valued
or championed. She remained on my mind over all our years
apart, until we finally reconnected in 2014 and started filming her
journey together.
I was determined that Belmaya should not be the passive subject
of this documentary, but have an active role in the telling of her
>
story. As she became a competent cameraperson, so she took more
control of the filming, taking us behind closed doors to the heart of
her life as a wife and mother.
Having the tools to tell her own story, along with the platform to
express herself, has transformed Belmaya’s outlook. It has made me
trust in the process of documentary filmmaking, and confirmed to
me that we all need to be able to speak from our hearts and be heard.
Above all, we need to have agency over our lives and our stories.”
I Am Belmaya
Documentary
1h 21m
Director: Sue Carpenter, Belmaya Nepali
UK Release: Premiere at Curzon Soho 4th
October, 6.20pm and is released in cinemas and on demand at Curzon Home
Cinema and BFI Player from 15th October. www.belmaya.com