PROJECT BACKGROUND
India is an extraordinary country with a broad diversity of people, cultures and natural resources. But the country’s economy is now growing at a pace unmatched in its storied history. Much of this growth has been centered on industrial, high technology, and service industries largely based in, or near major urban centers and fueled by a cheap labor pool of young, uneducated and unskilled workers from rural areas of the country. These new arrivals are mostly impoverished, and seek shelter in the city slums. Particularly vulnerable are the young Indian women who follow their families to the cities in search of a better life.
The collision of rapid economic growth and entrenched cultural norms creates a difficult and harrowing journey for the young ‘slum’ girls of India’s urban centers. Many girls are abandoned and forced to live in orphanages. Following village traditions, most enter into arranged marriages with males they have never met as early as age 15. The long practice of not formally educating Indian women means that they’re beholden to their husbands and his family for survival. Should the marriage fail, the wives have little recourse but to accept whatever ‘work’ they can find on the streets.
PRODUCTION APPROACH
The film will provide viewers with an intimate portal into the lives of these ‘at risk’ Indian girls, including the grinding day-to-day struggle for survival as they pursue a better life for themselves. The film will also explore the deep cultural heritage of India and the current education reform movement within India. The film will be framed by examining the global inequality of education between young men and women in developing countries and how reversing this dynamic can make an impact in improving global economic and social stability.
