Entering Mongali’s living room, Yatin Parkhani and Binod Paudel begin their interview of the Woven In Exile weavers in Akron, Ohio, USA. Yatin came with a shoulder mounted camera and Binod arrived with pen and paper. Liz and Bersha applaud as Mon Maya and Mongali prepare to greet their guests. Yatin flew from Los Angelus while Binod rode a bus from Baltimore.
Yatin and Binod made the trip to Akron because they wanted to learn about the lives of Bhutanese refugees in Akron, Ohio, and they were particularly interested in the Woven in Exile (WiE) weavers. They contacted Liz and Terry Kuhn, who shared information about WiE.
Yatin is an LA-based documentary filmmaker who was interested in developing a film script about Akron’s Bhutanese-Nepali community. Yatin’s partner on this project is Binod Paudel, who is a Nepali screenwriter. They were interested in documenting real-life experiences to serve as a basis for a fictional account of peoples’ lives. While in Akron they reached out to Akronites of the Bhutanese diaspora. In addition to the weavers, they will be talking with Puspa Gajmer, Amber Subba, and others about their lives. They envision a feature film script that shines an honest but empathetic light on the Akron refugees and their new city. A feature of their work will be the values that strengthen the United States and the inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Yatin is an editor who works on ads promoting shows like Disney and TNT. He has an ambition to move into documentary film production. He filmed and edited a short architectural documentary for the Hollywood director Michael Schultz and edited and produced a Nepali documentary teaser.
Binod headed Nepal’s only film school, the Oscar International College of Film and Media Studies at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. Here he hopes to make Nepaliwood a recognizable entity like Hollywood, and to give it the stature enjoyed by the Bollywood industry in India. He also wrote the darkly comedic feature Saanghuro, which was acquired and broadcast across Europe by UK’s Channel4. Binod is an accomplished Nepali language actor; he has appeared in several Nepali films and tv serials. (See note 1)
Their Akron visit from March 7 through 14 was marked with cold weather and snow interspersed with warm dialogs and feelings with many people.
While Liz discussed and reviewed the weavers’ recent output, Yatin was capturing the activity on film with his ingenious camera/shoulder mount setup. Along with a camera, he had a microphone and a photography light in his setup. In the picture below you can see Liz in the camera monitor as she works with the weavers.
Yatin is an LA-based documentary filmmaker who was interested in developing a film script about Akron’s Bhutanese-Nepali community. Yatin’s partner on this project is Binod Paudel, who is a Nepali screenwriter. They were interested in documenting real-life experiences to serve as a basis for a fictional account of peoples’ lives. While in Akron they reached out to Akronites of the Bhutanese diaspora. In addition to the weavers, they will be talking with Puspa Gajmer, Amber Subba, and others about their lives. They envision a feature film script that shines an honest but empathetic light on the Akron refugees and their new city. A feature of their work will be the values that strengthen the United States and the inner thoughts, feelings, and motivations.
Yatin is an editor who works on ads promoting shows like Disney and TNT. He has an ambition to move into documentary film production. He filmed and edited a short architectural documentary for the Hollywood director Michael Schultz and edited and produced a Nepali documentary teaser.
Binod headed Nepal’s only film school, the Oscar International College of Film and Media Studies at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu. Here he hopes to make Nepaliwood a recognizable entity like Hollywood, and to give it the stature enjoyed by the Bollywood industry in India. He also wrote the darkly comedic feature Saanghuro, which was acquired and broadcast across Europe by UK’s Channel4. Binod is an accomplished Nepali language actor; he has appeared in several Nepali films and tv serials. (See note 1)
Their Akron visit from March 7 through 14 was marked with cold weather and snow interspersed with warm dialogs and feelings with many people.
While Liz discussed and reviewed the weavers’ recent output, Yatin was capturing the activity on film with his ingenious camera/shoulder mount setup. Along with a camera, he had a microphone and a photography light in his setup. In the picture below you can see Liz in the camera monitor as she works with the weavers.
In the following photo Yatin is filming while Binod puts pen to paper. They are each capturing different aspects of the reality of the WiE meeting unfolding before them.
Three Woven In Exile weavers (l to r: Sabitra, Mon Maya, and Mongali) answer questions asked by Yatin as Binod writes. In this scene Mon Maya is answering as Sabitra (left) and Mongali (right) listen.
Binod’s handsome profile shows a contemplative, compassionate individual, eager to capture the reality before him into accurate prose which he intends to rewrite as a fictional account based on true accounts.
Yatin and Terry are in the kitchen discussing camera equipment, as well as the purpose of this project.
Posing for a traditional “grip and grin” photo, the group is concluding the day’s meeting/interview as Terry snaps a picture.
Binod, Terry, Yatin, Liz, and Bersha wave good-bye while Yatin is controlling his aerial camera to take our picture in the parking lot behind Mon Maya’s and Mongali’s homes.
www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/nepal-earthquake-aftermath-recoveryThis two-hour encounter gave Yatin and Binod a chance to learn why Woven in Exile has been an important part of the lives of these women. It has given them purpose and a small amount of income to supplement their family budgets.
1 Mark Edward Harris, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/nepal-earthquake-aftermath
www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/nepal-earthquake-aftermath-recovery
1 Mark Edward Harris, https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/nepal-earthquake-aftermath
www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/11/nepal-earthquake-aftermath-recovery