Baato (12A)

Every winter Mikma and her family collect medicinal herbs around their home nestled in the Himalayas of northeastern Nepal, before making an annual 300-kilometre migration, partly on foot and partly by ramshackle vehicle, to urban markets in the lowlands.

This year, construction of a new highway to China has begun in their roadless valley, and things are never going to be the same.

The extension of the first road to (and through) their off-the-beaten-path village is fitfully underway, promising less walking and perhaps a less arduous life in some distant future.

Road engineers take bribes to avoid destroying homes, while laborers produce gravel — breaking individual stones by hand with hammers.

The herb collectors plot to avoid shakedowns by police and bus operators as they miraculously make their way to market.

Kate Stryker and Lucas Millard's documentary is a deep dive into a way of life that is in the midst of a slow and chaotic, yet inexorable transition.

Languages:
Lhomi, Nawa and Nepali

Subtitles:
Full English