Why is the film named “The price of childhood?”
During the filming of The Price of Childhood, I was often impressed with the numbers involved. The costs of being able to go to school, of being able to eat enough food. The cost seemed relatively low compared to the important issues at stake--a child's present health and future opportunities.
How did come up with the main idea of the film ?
I collaborated with the NGO Base which wanted to publicize its work against child labor in Nepal in order to obtain some financial support for their work.
What is the message you would like deliver from this film?
That child labor is complicated, that the motivations of the people involved are complicated, but that improvements in the lives of child laborers are possible.
Is this the first time you participate in this festival?
Yes
Did the film participate in other international festivals?
Not yet
What is the human rights' cause that the film present?
At its most narrow, it is about child labor but in a larger context it is about the full panoply of economic, social, and cultural rights as the film follows the plight of an indigenous people robbed of their land, deprived of their livelihoods, and reduced to bondage.
And, how did you present it or express that idea?
This idea is expressed through the story of just two child laborers and interviews with activists, scholars, owners, and parents.
What are the obstacles that you faced while making this film?
This was my first film so I essentially had to learn how to make a film. And there was a bit of a steep learning curve both in terms of how to use the technology and how to approach the construction of a narrative.
How do you see the problem of child labor in poor countries and developing countries?
I see it as a very complicated problem. It is very easy to describe it in terms of poor and developing countries and in terms of poor families who can't afford to send their children to school or even to feed them and in terms of the owners who are interested in cheap labor. What is lost in such a simple explanation is why certain groups of the same economic level would send their children to work while others would not. It also fails to do justice to the historical component of the story in which an indigenous people is robbed of their livelihoods and is thus bonded to do labor for their usurpers.
How can we solve this problem?
This is both a simple and very complicated question. The simple answer is free, compulsory education. The complicated answer is how is such a situation achieved in a politically tumultuous and economically poor country like Nepal.
What the role of world institutions and developed countries in solving this problem and whether they do their actual role?
One fascinating aspect of this film is that the international community unintentionally caused this problem. Of course they are now in the process of addressing it as well and have made some significant strides by collaborating with their local partners.
