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SISTERS OF THE TREES

Nestled amidst the arid lands of Rajasthan, India, and surrounded by marble mines, lies a remarkable oasis: a small town called Piplantri. What makes Piplantri unique is its transformative program that empowers women. In the past, families in the town would often get rid of their newborn daughters due to the inability to pay a dowry. However, since 2005, this practice has been replaced with a celebratory one, the planting of 111 trees every time a baby girl is born. This initiative has turned Piplantri into an oasis with improved literacy rates, better work opportunities, and women's empowerment. “Sisters of the Trees” reveals the lives of the women and the positive changes that the community is making.

THE FILMMAKERS

Camila Menéndez graduated in 2009 from the Film Director program at The Film and Video Regional School of Cuyo (ERCCyV) in Mendoza, Argentina. She continued her studies in Buenos Aires with Professor Miguel Perez (La República Perdida I and II) in his "Film Editing and Dramatic Structure Course." Since 2010, Camila has worked as a freelance editor for several production companies and TV channels, such as Baraka Cine, Pandito Films, Shango Films, Channel 7 of Mendoza, Obol, Acequia TV, and Señal U. She has edited the feature films "Veronica's Videla Passion" (Panorama selection at the Cinelatino Festival of Toulouse), "Misty Eyes" by Cristián Pellegrini, "Necronomicón" by Marcelo Schapces, and the five documentaries "Madam Baterflai" and "Con Nombre de Flor" by Carina Sama. For television, Camila has edited five programs for open digital TV, the documentary "Bowen, History of a Country" (winner of the "30 years of democracy" contest of the National Public TV Channel), and the documentary series "Mediápolis" by Paula de Luque and "Conversations in the Labyrinth" for Canal Encuentro. She has also directed the documentary short films "Biofertilizers" (2013), "Vol I: Antonio" (2016), and "Vol II: Lavalle" (2017). Camila attended the 12th edition of the Buenos Aires Talent Campus in 2017.

Lucas Peñafort was born in Mendoza in 1980 and has worked as a curator and audiovisual artist since 2009. He obtained a Diploma in Creative Documentary Studies at the Film Observatory in Barcelona and later graduated in the Cinematography Department at the Universidad del Cine in Buenos Aires. Lucas has worked as a sound designer, editor, and producer on documentaries directed by Martín Solá, including "Closed Box," "Hamdan," and "The Chechen Family." These documentaries have received international awards such as the Best Film award at the Madrid Film Festival, Nyon Visions du Reel, and Docs Barcelona. Lucas participated in the traveling video installation with Antje Ehmann and Harun Farocki called "Workers: Leaving their Workplace," which appeared in more than ten cities. He presented an ethnographic film workshop to the community leaders of the Maya-Man Kitche people in San Martín Chile Verde (Guatemala) and has made more than ten experimental short films in Buenos Aires, Barcelona, and Stockholm. Currently, Lucas is collaborating with the LODO platform, which focuses on interdisciplinary dialogue between artists working on performance, multi-channel video installations, and theater.

FESTIVALS

Best International Feature Film – Green Film Festival of Barichara, Colombia
Women Fighting Award – Fusagasuga International Film Festival, Colombia
Special Jury Award – International Documentary Film Festival of Mexico City
Best Cinematography – International Documentary Film Festival Buenos Aires, Argentina
Best Postproduction – Women and Cinema Film Festival, Argentina
SUNCINE International Environmental Film Festival (FICMA), Spain
Melgaço International Documentary Film Festival (MDOC), Portugal
The Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China

SISTERS OF THE TREES

Catalog # EPF16044 ● ISBN: 978-1-933724-87-4 ● UPC: 6-82086-16047-4 ● NTSC

86 Minutes ● Copyright 2019 ● Hindi, Rajasthani, English Subtitles

For purchase orders, to book screenings and for other inquiries, please contact:
Larry Rattner - larry@epfmedia.com

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