Experiencing Interruptions?

My Monthly Exile: Visualizing Menstrual Practices and Motivations in Far-West Nepal using Collaborative Filmmaking

Seven girls from a village in Kanchanpur district of far-west Nepal come together to learn filmmaking, and create vignettes of the monthly banishment that they face (or don't) due to menstruation. The girls come from a variety of caste and religious backgrounds, where their stories highlight that in one village alone, menstrual practices and motivations can take many forms. Some leave women and girls to sleep in small sheds, and others leave girls deeply empowered. Collaborative filmmaking is an arts-based, participatory research method that presents a unique opportunity for generating knowledge. The method engages community filmmakers as collaborators through data collection, analysis, and dissemination. As a result of piloting Collaborative Filmmaking in Nepal on the topic of menstruation, the method allowed researchers and community members to capture sensory knowledge, which assisted in developing a nuanced understanding of different menstrual practices and beliefs, particularly related to time and space. Using collaborative filmmaking also allowed for the development of an end product in the form of a documentary film that was used by the youth filmmakers and researchers to raise awareness about the nature of traditional menstrual practices in far-west Nepal. The film was also used to raise awareness about traditional menstrual practices among policymakers in the capital, with the aim to inform future policies and interventions for improving women's and girls' menstrual health in Nepal.

  • Kalpana Thapa Magar
    Director
  • Kabita Joshi
    Director
  • Indra Luhar
    Director
  • Parbati Bohora
    Director
  • Niru Kuwar
    Director
  • Rabina Luhar
    Director
  • Narma Sarki
    Director
  • Sara Liza Baumann
    Director
  • Kalpana Thapa Magar
    Writer
  • Kabita Joshi
    Writer
  • Indra Luhar
    Writer
  • Parbati Bohora
    Writer
  • Niru Kuwar
    Writer
  • Rabina Luhar
    Writer
  • Narma Sarki
    Writer
  • Sara Liza Baumann
    Producer
  • Pema Lhaki
    Producer
  • Jessica Burke
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Feature, Student
  • Genres:
    Visual ethnography, Documentary
  • Runtime:
    54 minutes 23 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    June 22, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    10,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Nepal
  • Language:
    Nepali
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
  • Biennial Conference of the Society for Menstrual Cycle Research
    Atlanta
    United States
    June 30, 2017
  • Cornell Univeristy, Intensive Nepali Summer Program
    Ithaca
    United States
    June 29, 2018
  • University of Pittsburgh Center for International Studies: International Week Film Festival
    Pittsburgh
    United States
    October 20, 2017
  • 6th Virtual Conference on Menstrual Hygiene Management in Schools
    New York
    United States
    October 24, 2017
  • Consortium of Universities for Global Health Conference 2018
    New York
    United States
    March 23, 2018
    Winner of The Lancet Global Health and Consortium of Universities for Global Health Award
Director Biography - Kalpana Thapa Magar, Kabita Joshi, Indra Luhar, Parbati Bohora, Niru Kuwar, Rabina Luhar, Narma Sarki, Sara Liza Baumann

Sara Liza Baumann is a researcher, filmmaker, and creator from the United States. She is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health where her work explores the role of ethnographic and documentary filmmaking in public health research and advocacy. During her PhD studies she developed a film research and advocacy method called Collaborative Filmmaking. Sara has a passion for women's health and has extensive experience conducting health research and programs in South and Southeast Asia.

Sara completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan in sociology with a concentration in health and aging and peace and social justice, Sara went on to complete a Fulbright Scholarship on gender and public health in Bangladesh. During her stint of 3 years in Bangladesh, she concentrated on the HIV/AIDS epidemic, and studied perceptions of illness, health-seeking behaviors and barriers to health care among hijra (transgender) in urban Dhaka. She completed her master’s degree in Public Health on this topic with an anthropological lens for analysis and qualitative research methods.

Upon completing her MPH, Sara began to see the need for more creative and visual approaches for conducting and disseminating research. With an interest in imaginatively approaching development and public health issues, she went on to form Old Fan Films where she specializes in the creation of audiovisual materials for a wide range of development subjects ranging from climate change, water and sanitation, coping with illness, to menstrual hygiene management and more. Sara has traveled extensively and created films in India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, USA, Czech Republic and more. Sara also has experience working in a fast-paced environment for an international advertising agency, where she worked as a regional producer for the production of television commercials for a massive beauty brand.

Sara continues to create short films, documentaries, and experimental works that push the boundaries of creative, ethnographic storytelling, and incorporates approaches that allow for alternative narratives that are often overlooked.

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