Untitled - Les Films du 3 mars

HOW CAN YOU CREATE A FUTURE FROM A PAST THAT DARES NOT BE TOLD?
In “BAS! Beyond the Red Light” 13 young girls
sold into Mumbai’s infamous network of gated
brothels confront the inner and outer perils of life
after rescue and reveal the very human story
inside the big business of child trafficking.
Through intimate, sustained access to its subjects
the film explores, from their point of view, the
lesser known issue of rehabilitation and
reintegration of the exploited girls.
© Kiran Ambwani
The story moves between gated brothels and guarded dormitories to a rehearsal studio
where the girls practice bhangra dance moves learned from lazy afternoons in front of the
dormitory television.
When the girls decide to attend a dance therapy program facilitated by Quebec
choreographer Nancy Leduc, who works with them to create a music video to get their story
out to the rest of the world, we get to see their transition from timid, angry and occasionally
bored kids to loud, laughing and confident teenagers.
Shot over the course of three and a half years and beautifully photographed by
cinematographer Katerine Giguère, the film captures the extraordinary beauty and truth of
the girls and juxtaposes this against the volatile and visually provocative backdrop of the
largest Red Light area on the planet.
"The therapeutic aspect of dance and choreography is
extraordinary... A very interesting film."
-
Michel Desautels - Société Radio-Canada
Written, directed and produced by WENDY CHAMPAGNE
Produced by DENIS MCCREADY
Executive Producer SYLVIE VAN BRABANT
Images by KATERINE GIGUÈRE & GUY MOSSMAN
Music composed by TARUN NAYAR
Edited by HUBERT HAYAUD
© Kiran Ambwani
Feature length documentary
77 minutes
Location of filming: India, Nepal
Languages spoken in the film: Hindi, Nepali, French, English
Filming formats: MiniDV, HDV, DVCPro HD
Wendy Champagne
Wendy Champagne is an Australian/Canadian writer and filmmaker living in Montreal. She
wrote the script for the Australian documentary “Women of the Earth” in 2005. “BAS! Beyond
the Red Light” is her first feature length documentary as a director.
CONTACT
Les Films du 3 Mars - Anne Paré, director
277 - 2065 Parthenais, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2K 3T1
Ph: +1 (514) 523-8530, Fax: +1 (514) 523-1291 - [email protected]
The documentary BAS! Beyond the Red Light was made possible with the financial participation of THE CANADIAN
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (CIDA), SODEC, QUEBEC TAX CREDIT, CONSEIL DES ARTS ET DES
LETTRES DU QUEBEC (CALQ), CANAL VIE, NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA FILMMAKER ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
(FAP QUEBEC), CANADA FEDERAL TAX CREDIT, PRIM and was produced in cooperation with the RESCUE FOUNDATION
(India).