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Reshma

In September 2016 an Indian teen named Reshma Qureshi made history being the first acid attack survivor to ever walk the runway at the New York Fashion Week. Mumbai born and raised, Reshma was attacked at the age of 17 by her brother in law as a revenge on her sister, who left the man after several episodes of domestic violence; after the attack, Reshma was left disfigured and suffered the loss of one eye. She became depressed and suicidal, but she decided to survive because she wanted justice, for her and for her family. She became the testimonial of an Indian NGO, who got her a modeling contract at the New York Fashion Week.

"Reshma" is an experimental short documentary about Reshma's days in New York. The troupe followed her for one week capturing spontaneous moments of her journey. Hotel rooms, chaotic streets, fashion shows, peaceful forests, rainy nights and sunny days. The narrator is Reshma herself, with some extracts by an interview she did for the film. The goal was to go beyond the typical documentary structure creating an intimate portrayal of this brave young woman, and to tell her story through a vision of hope and empowerment. The suggestive aesthetics were created by Emmy award winner DOP Greg Harriott, who shot with an Arri Amira camera and Cooke lenses.

  • Livia Alcalde
    Director
  • Chiara Nardone
    Producer
  • Roman Zawadzki
    Producer
  • Andreas Benz
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Experimental, Short
  • Genres:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes 51 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2018
  • Production Budget:
    16,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Italy
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    Hindi
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    21:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Livia Alcalde

Born in Rome, Italy, in 1986, Livia is an Italian filmmaker and screenwriter.
After several years of experience in shooting music videos, she is currently focusing on documentary filmmaking on human rights, and especially on women’s right.

“Reshma” is her first documentary.

Her music videos (among the others: “Golden Leaves” and “An Invitation” for singer Lena Katina) have won awards at the following international festivals:

Los Angeles Film Awards (Best Music Video)
International Independent Film Awards (Platinum Award)
MedFF (Winter Edition Winner)
Best Shorts Competition (Award of Excellence)
Global Music Awards (Bronze Medal)
European Film Festival (Best Music Video)
Accolade Competition (Award of Excellence)
Minefield Film Festival (Best Music Video)
Apex Film Festival (Best Soft Rock Music Video)

Her work has also been nominated in the official selections of:
HollyShorts Film Festival (Best Music Video)
Film Quest (Nomination for Best Music Video and Best Costumes)
LA Music Video Awards (Best Music Video)
Thurrock International Film Festival (Best Music Video)
Los Angeles CineFest (Best Music Video)
Austin Spotlight Film Festival (Best Music Video)
Visioni Corte Film Festival (Cortomusic)
Hamilton Music Film Festival (Best Music Video)
Mizzica Film Festival (Best Video)
Avanca Film Festival (Trailer in motion)
Cefalu’ Film Festival (Best video)
Rome Web Awards (Best Music Video)

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