Past screening

I Am Belmaya

Directed by: Sue Carpenter, Belmaya Nepali
Runtime: 1hr 21min Year: 2021
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Details

Directed by: Sue Carpenter, Belmaya Nepali
Runtime: 1hr 21min Year: 2021
Country: United Kingdom
Topics: Personal Stories

A profoundly inspirational story following one young Nepalese woman's transformational journey from silenced wife to documentary filmmaker.

Dominated by her husband, family and society, Belmaya is desperate for independence. Born in a poor hill village in Nepal, a Dalit (the lowest, ‘untouchable’ caste), orphaned aged 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 14 and 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. But are her resentful husband and conservative community ready for this? An inspirational tale of rebellion, courage and hope, spanning 14 years, as Belmaya battles to change her story.