Private Project

KALASHA MEDICINE Healing and health of the Kalasha in the Hindukush

This documentary deals with perceptions of disease and traditional healing methods from among the non-Muslim Kalasha living in the Hindukush Mountains in NW Pakistan.
Important in the Kalasha religion is pure and impure.
Disease and death are impure, so in case of disease purification rites are performed.
The traditional healing methods are documented in the documentary, also with the filmmaker as a patient in pain.
Eventually, the introduction of modern medicine is documented and discussed.

  • Birgitte Glavind Sperber
    Director
  • Birgitte Glavind Sperber
    Writer
  • Birgitte Glavind Sperber
    Producer
  • Kashgari
    Key Cast
  • Qazi Khosh Nawaz
    Key Cast
  • Saifullah Jan
    Key Cast
  • Abdus Salam
    Key Cast
  • Misargeh
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    ethnography, religion, animal husbandry, milk, goats, purification, disease, development, minority problems
  • Runtime:
    47 minutes 7 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 15, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    1,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Denmark
  • Country of Filming:
    Pakistan
  • Shooting Format:
    MiniDV
  • Aspect Ratio:
    4:3
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Pärnu International Filmfestival in 2010
    Pärnu
    Estonia
    July 16, 2010
    World premiere
    The best scientific documentation
  • Days of Ethnographic Cinema. Moscow September 25 - October 2, 2010
    Moscow
    Russian Federation
    September 27, 2010
  • International Mountain Film Festival Dec 2010
    Kathmandu
    Nepal
    December 12, 2010
  • Etnia Filmfestival, Turku October 2013
    Turku
    Finland
    October 13, 2013
Distribution Information
  • Birgitte Glavind Sperber
    Country: Denmark
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Birgitte Glavind Sperber

Birgitte Glavind Sperber: Born 1942, M.Sc. in Biology and Geography from University of Copenhagen. Retired senior lecturer in Geography and Biology from University College South in Denmark.
Every year 1983-2008 and in 2018, 2019 and 2022 long stays, in total over 2½ years, among the Kalasha, a non-Muslim minority living in the Hindukush Mountains in NW Pakistan .
Education in social anthropology from Aarhus Open University. Author of books and ethnographic papers on the Kalasha.
Since 2000 shooting with a camcorder.
First film made at Danish Film Institute’s Video-workshop in Haderslev in 2001.
Since then working alone at my computer at home.
12 of my Kalasha documentaries have been selected for screening at 24 international film festivals. Two have been awarded ("The Last Honours" and "Kalasha Medicine").

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Director Statement

My documentaries are made in co-operation with Kalasha and approved by them.