SMD alumna, Dolma Tsering Lama, recently finished the IB (International Baccalaureate) program at UWC (United World Colleges) ISAK in Japan. She won a full scholarship at Wheaton College MA in the USA to study film as of fall 2018. As so many people are still illiterate in the mountains of Nepal, she thinks short films are a way to bring change. Dolma Tsering wrote the script, scouted the locations, and did the sound editing for the short film “Mero Dai (My Brother)”. She writes:
“At UWC ISAK I studied in the International Baccalaureate progam. I chose Film, Higher Level, and “My Brother” is my final film project with my team. It is about a social practice called “Chhaupadi Pratha” prevailing in rural areas of Nepal, where a woman is exiled to cowsheds during her menstruation because she is considered dirty and will bring bad luck to the family. The project took us two months with pre, pro, and post-production.
Very few kids get an education in Nepal. People are ignorant about many social evils happening around them. I was brought up at SMD School in Kathmandu as a Buddhist and taught to help others. I want to help people in Nepal get social awareness through my films in the future. That is my life goal.“
Rationale for Film
मेरो दाई (Mero Dai / My Brother) addresses a social practice called “Chhaupadi Pratha” prevailing in rural areas of Nepal where a woman is exiled to cowsheds during her menstruation because she is considered dirty and will bring bad luck to the family. The story is told through a girl, Poonam, who through the inhumane conditions in the shed and the loss of a friend experiences anger. It compels her to ask questions about this practice, presented in the form of a monologue. As the sound editor, I had found and created sounds to bring location and culture into context and to create mood for the film.
Read more about Dolma Tsering Lama at Wheaton College on the Wheaton Blog.
Read about Dolma Tsering at ISAK.