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Pani (Water)
( English, Hindi / 37 min. )
Country : India
Producer/ Director : Sumitra Bhave
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In a village in rural India, the women spend hours
every day finding water. Young or old, pregnant or
nursing young babies,
they make their daily trek across
a stony wasteland to fill their pitchers
from the dirty pool
at the bottom of a waterhole. Meanwhile, the village
menfolk drink, gamble, quarrel and order their wives
about. "Men -
what men! Devils! Women’s lives are very
cheap," complains Kaki, a
real-life village grandmother,
and the undisputed heroine of Sumitra Bhave’s
engaging morality tale on the hidden strengths of Indian
women. Inspired
by a group of local activists and urged
on by Kaki and her childhood
recollection of a spring
near the village, the women from a collective and
dig a
new well to provide water for their families.
The Girl who Saw the World from Above
( English, Spanish / 60 min. )
Country : Guatemala
Production Co. : CREA
Producer/Director : Maria-Cristina Rosales
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Eight-year-old Adriana has one dream - to be able to
fly. In this
magical film from Guatemala, her dream comes
true when a mysterious
stranger carries her off in a
balloon to visit the ancient Mayan temples
of Mexico and
explore the tropical forests of Peten. Confronting evil
tomb
robbers and exploring the emerald depths of the
Caribbean
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Sea, Adriana is witness to man’s destructive power in a
fragile world. Combining adventure and fantasy as an
educational tool, in
THE GIRL WHO SAW THE WORLD
FROM ABOVE director Maria-Cristina Rosales has
created a story that appeals to children and adults alike,
providing
information on the threats to the global
environment - and the inspiration
to conserve and
protect it.
Tasi, Oh Tasi
( English, Indonesian / 75 min. )
Country : Indonesia
Production Co. : John Hopkins University
Producer/Director : Arifin Noer
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Tasi comes from a family with too many children and a
spendthrift father
who works as a fisherman and farmer
in the coastal region of West Java. When
overfishing
leads to dwindling fish catches and rats devastate his
rice
harvest, Tasi’s father resorts to marrying her of at
an early age to repay
his debts. Disgusted by her new
husband, Tasi runs away and becomes a
prostitute in
Jakarta to survive. Through a montage of interviews
and
flashbacks, she reflects upon her tragic life and
questions what future her
son will have. A vivid portrait
of Indonesian village life, Arifin Noer’s memorable drama
underlines how the problems of an expanding
population and worsening environmental conditions
directly affect the lives of individuals.
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