Shakti

After her mischievous nine-year-old daughter Lila gets scolded at school, Durga, a single mother, enrolls her in a private painting class to keep her out of trouble. Set in Kathmandu, Nepal – a country that recently elected its first female prime minister – the story unfolds against a backdrop of social and political change, as conversations about women’s rights are increasingly prominent.

But behind closed doors is often a different reality. After once-carefree Lila undergoes an abrupt change in behavior and falls ill, Durga turns to a local shaman, and mother and daughter begin to confront their shared trauma.

The award-winning Shakti is Walker’s debut narrative feature. Walker (Other Nature) previously won an academy award as an executive producer of The Last Repair Shop, and she teaches documentary filmmaking at UC Berkeley. Composer William Ryan Fritch and associate producer Prem Pariyar are also Bay Area locals. 

Cinematographer Keiko Nakahara has worked on acclaimed films from India and Hollywood, including Mary Kom, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and The Jane Austen Book Club.

Preceded By

My Sweet Pala

Directed by Tao Okomoto

Born to Tibetan immigrant parents in America, eleven-year-old Pema has always felt the protective embrace of her close-knit community, and the overprotective eye of her father, Kelsang. However, an unexpected incident reveals the harsh realities her father has been shielding her from, and Pema begins to understand the complexities of her minority status in society for the first time.