Synopsis
Urmila’s dream is to end child slavery in Nepal. The human rights activist was sold by her parents
when she was 6 years old. 12 years later she became free. The film portraits her quest for justice and
her personal fight against the inner demons of her own past. First she must break through the control
of those around her to begin to make her own life choices.
"In Nepal, Kamalari is a custom of selling girls, who are forced to slave labor and do not have access to education. One of them was Urmila, who, having regained her freedom after 12 years, decided to devote herself to saving other children. The film allows you to get to know Urmila very closely. The director, with a great sense of intuition and consistency, introduces us into the world of Urmila’s inner struggles, helps us to understand her extraordinary determination, but also the loneliness of a person who has been deprived of childhood." (The Prize of the Mayor of Zakopane/Poland for the film which best pictures human, cultural and artistic aspects of mountain population)
"We have chosen Urmila – My Memory is My Power as this year’s Main Competition First Prize because of its brilliantly executed and clearly structured documentary journey through the eyes of one young woman’s personal, brave and tireless fight for justice.
For what is a very poignant, very real and distressing subject matter about an extremely remarkable young woman and her tireless efforts to save young female children from the fate that she suffered herself in Nepal society, the documentary is executed clearly in its facts through rhythmic editing and pacing but what makes it unique is not just for being beautifully shot, but also for the original, and at times almost lyrical way that it avoids being drawn into sentimentality and judgement so therefore consistently remaining impartial to the problems thereby letting the audience draw their own interpretations and conclusions from what they see and hear“ (First Prize at KIMFF / Kathmandu / Nepal)
