Miles Away

Synopsis

Every year, when the fields dry up and agricultural work comes to an end, families travel hundreds of kilometres to Uttar Pradesh to work in brick kilns. The film follows three women working at one of these kilns. They work under scorching heat and, having received part of their wages in advance, must stay until their debts are paid. Brick production depends on the weather. As the climate changes, unseasonal rains disrupt production, and every day without work adds to their debt. We see who pays the price of changing climate conditions. Already facing generations of caste discrimination and trapped in cycles of debt, the women still support one another and find ways to share moments of joy.

Director Biography

Megha Acharya

Megha Acharya, Director

Documentary practitioner with a focus on climate change, gender, agriculture, and public healthcare policies. She has also worked as a freelance editor, cinematographer, and sound recordist for documentaries. Her film Sudhamayee (2019), part of her diploma film project at the Sri Aurobindo Center for Arts and Communication, has won Best Film, Best Director, and a Special Mention at prestigious festivals across India.

Geeta Devi, Associate Director

Khabar Lahariya’s Uttar Pradesh Bureau Chief has been covering environment, climate justice and resilience, migration for over a decade. Her association with the organization began in 2009. Her special reports on these subjects and her deep-dive investigative pieces have earned her great repute in the world of reportage, both nationally and, with her appearance in a Google News Initiative short, internationally as well.

Credits

Camera / Kamera

Aditi Bhande, Annette Jacob, Megha Acharya

Editing / Kurgu

Megha Acharya

Music / Müzik

Sridhar Varadrajan

Sound / Ses

Sridhar Varadrajan

Production / Yapım

Chambal Media, Paula Chakravartty, Michelle Buckley, Priya Thuvassery