In an impoverished country, rife with contradiction, a young girl is torn by her obligation to her family and the influence of foreign visitors.

Interview with Writer/Director/Producer Dekel Berenson

Congratulations! Why did you make your film?

Ashmina’s story was inspired by a 2014 trip to Nepal. Following a mountain climbing expedition in the Everest region, I travelled to Pokhara to complete my training as a paragliding pilot. I was immediately captivated by the young children who were working in the landing field and instantly knew that I would one day return to Nepal to capture their story on film.

Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?

Ashmina is a social realist film. It was shot in open locations, using mostly available light and a local semi-professional crew. The cast is made up of locals, non-professional actors who we met in the location in which the story takes place. The foreigners portraying David and his friends are backpackers who we met in the streets of Pokhara who had to take time off from their travels so they could participate in the film.

How do personal and universal themes work in your film?

The film is very personal to me as it's a story that I wanted to tell for many years, before being a filmmaker. The character of David is in part autobiographical as I was faced with the same dilemma as the character in the film.

How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?

It didn't change much, it's a six-page script, and I only changed it a bit while shooting, reducing the number of shots and scenes by combining them.

What type of feedback have you received so far?

The feedback has been very positive, but it's a very minimalist film with about 15 lines of dialogue, so it's not a crowd pleaser. I find that those type of films are easy to make, and wanted to do something else, regardless of people's expectations.

Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?

The only surprising feedback was from my parents. They don't understand how difficult it is to make a film so after watching it they said it was "really nice" and then instantly changed the subject and asked me how the weather was etc. Never mind that I had to move to Nepal for three months, work with non-actors, not a professional crew, direct a film in a language that I don't speak, produce it myself, was nearly killed twice, almost arrested, and it was the craziest time of my life.

What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?

Inspired by the experience in Nepal and building on the success of Ashmina I've decided to expand the project into a full-length feature. I've already shot the 2nd part of the film, titled Anna, in Ukraine.

Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?

I'm looking for producers from different countries to join the project. They can read more about it here: https://www.ashminafilm.com/broken-wings/

What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?

I would like the audience to consider the impact of their traveling on local populations, to contemplate gender inequality, and the other themes which are present in the film.

What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?

Is it right for foreign filmmakers to make films in other countries and tell stories of other cultures, rather than local filmmakers telling their own stories?

What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?

I'm in the process of developing another feature, collaborating with producers from a few countries.

Interview: April 2019

We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela

Ashmina

In an impoverished country, rife with contradiction, a young girl is torn by her obligation to her family and the influence of foreign visitors.

Length: 15:30

Director: Dekel Berenson

Producer: Dekel Berenson

Writer: Dekel Berenson

About the writer, director and producer:

Born in Israel, lives in the UK, DEKEL BERENSON tells stories from around the world. His film Ashmina premiered at the BFI London Film Festival and will screen at the Aspen Shortsfest festival, among many others. He is currently working on his first feature, an Israeli European co-production.

Key cast: Dikshya Karki (Ashmina), Fabian Gleeson (David), Prakat Pageni (Ashmina's Father), Sadhana Bhandari (Ashmina's Mother)

Facebook: Dekel David Berenson

Twitter: @AshminaFilm

Instagram: @ashminafilm

Hashtags used: #AshminaFilm

Website: www.ashminafilm.com

Other: IMDb

Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? The European Independent Film Festival, April 5-7, Paris