AC Films Executive Producer
Directed by Nisha Pahuja
Directed by Nisha Pahuja
Synopsis:
In the lobby of a modest Bombay hotel, 20 young women from across India arrive for an intense beauty boot camp. They are the hand-picked contestants for the Miss India pageant. Winning the coveted title means instant stardom, a lucrative career path and, for some girls, freedom from the constraints of a patriarchal society.
As the contestants move through beauty boot camp, Pahuja travels to another corner of India to visit an annual camp for young girls run by the Durgha Vahini, the women’s wing of the militant fundamentalist movement.
Through lectures and physical combat training, the girls learn what it means to be good Hindu women and how to fight against Islam, Christianity and Western influences by any means necessary. The Indian government says these camps promote terrorism and is trying to ban them. Until now, they have never been filmed.
At the camp we meet a dynamic Durgha Vahini youth leader who has already fought on the front lines and says she is willing to die for her beliefs. Yet her passionate desire to work for the cause sparks constant household friction; her father insists she will marry and soon.
A lively, provocative portrait of the world’s largest democracy at a critical transitional moment.
These young women may represent opposing extremes but in their hearts they share a common dream: to help shape the future of India as she meets the world before her.
Selections & Awards:
Tribeca Film Festival - Best Documentary Feature
Hot Docs Film Festival - Best Canadian Feature
Traverse City Film Festival - Best Foreign Film
Edmonton International Film Festival - Best Canadian Feature Documentary
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Award - Best Canadian Documentary
Canadian Screen Awards
Santa Barbara Film Festival
Guanajuato Film Festival
Indian Festival of Melbourne - Best Original Music in a Feature-Length Documentary
Directors Guild of Canada - Allan King Award for Excellence in Documentary
Lighthouse International Film Festival - Audience Award Best Documentary
Lighthouse International Film Festival - The Honey Levine Award
Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival - Best Documentary Feature Award
Canadian Screen Awards - Best Feature-Length Documentary
Canadian Screen Awards - Best Editing in a Feature-Length Documentary
Canadian Screen Awards - Best Original Music in a Feature-Length Documentary
Salem Film Fest - Special Jury Award
Salem Film Fest - The Michael Sullivan Frontline Award for Journalism in a Documentary Film
Directors Guild of Canada - Best Picture Editing Documentary
Imagine India Festival - Best Documentary
Imagine India Festival - Best South Asian Documentary
Canadian Cinema Editors Awards - Best Editing in Feature Documentary
Indian Film Festival, Stuttgart - Best Documentary