Breathtaking cinematography and a powerful story combine in “12 Stones” , a 22 minute documentary short that captures the amazing journey of a group of illiterate women in southern Nepal. In a country where running water and electricity are luxuries, most of the people in Nepal live below the poverty line. A group of women, with the help of Heifer International, an aid organization that promotes sustainable development, are helping hundreds of other women and their families rise from poverty to reclaim a future. It is a deeply moving testament to the strength of empowerment and the remarkable will to become something more.
The village of Belsi lies off the main highway that connects Nepal to India, a dusty torturous road that winds down from the Katmandu Valley. Most homes don’t have windows, running water or electricity. A multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, small and astoundingly beautiful country, Nepal is also one of poorest countries in the world, with nearly half the people living below the poverty line. Outside of Africa, no country is poorer.
Like many rural villages in Nepal, Belsi was caught in a cycle of poverty that was difficult to break. The lack of education, coupled with dire economic circumstances meant that each new generation remained trapped in extreme poverty.
What distinguishes the village from most others in the country is that as you move off the road and into the village, the homes begin to change. Next to crumbling mud and thatched roof shacks are solidly constructed concrete homes, with vegetable gardens and cleanly swept yards. The difference is breathtaking. And instead of the shy and reserved women that inhabit most villages in the region, the film discovers Shanti, Sita, Sonia and Parabati, the women of Belsi.
Change began in Belsi 8 years ago when a group of women from a neighboring village came to Belsi to try to organize a women’s group. The women were from a local group that had been given goats by Heifer. But given their experience in other countries and the unique problems facing Nepal, Heifer field workers knew that just giving an animal to a family wasn't enough. Could you bring an entire village out of poverty by first empowering its’ women, traditionally the most marginalized, to be self-sufficient?
It was a little idea but no one was prepared for how huge an effect it would have.
The filmmakers met Shanti, Sita and Parabati in the fall of 2007. Having received their animals from a group of women in the neighboring village of Gitanagar, they had already gone through a remarkable transformation, becoming economically self-sufficient, setting up local cooperatives, moving out of mud walled and thatched roof shacks into new concrete homes, and slowly becoming leaders in their community.
In spending time with these women it is hard to believe that just a few years ago they would have been incapable of speaking to a stranger. They are confident, outspoken and passionate about explaining the transformation of their lives. They are also keenly intent on passing on the keys to their own empowerment to other women in neighboring villages.
Mr. Smolan got to know these women well, gained their trust and got them to speak openly about both the hardship of their lives and the incredible transformation they have undergone.
Though the film is largely told through the voices of the women, the intent was to emotionally capture the remarkable transformation they have undergone. The inward transformation they were undergoing, set against both the beauty and squalor of Nepal, lent itself to extraordinary visual storytelling.
At a moment when the world is facing an unprecedented food crisis, the film highlights an extraordinary time-tested model of aid with the potential to keep hundreds of thousands of people out of abject poverty and hunger. By Intimately connecting the audience with an issue of global importance and capturing how the seemingly simple gift of a single animal donated by an individual in the developing world can have such a vast transformative effect on ending world hunger, “12 Stones” also addresses two commonly asked questions about foreign aid: “Does it work?” and “What can I do?”
Deeply moving and with breathtaking cinematography by Polish cinematographer Jacek Laskus and narrated by Diane Lane, “12 Stones” captures the remarkable transformation the women of Belsi have undergone and illuminates the idea that you can bring an entire village out of poverty by first empowering its’ women, traditionally the most marginalized, to be self-sufficient. 21 minutes.
Mr. Smolan's critically acclaimed feature 'Rachel River' was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and won awards for Best Cinematography and a special Jury Prize for actress Viveca Lindfors. He has directed documentaries, tv movies and many network primetime series,
Smolan is currently in pre-production on the feature “Descending From Heaven”.
