Anuradha Koirla is one of the nominees in CNN’s Top Ten Heroes of 2010.

Filmmaker Andrew Levine, whose Emmy-nominated film The Day My God Died aired on Independent Lens in 2004, updates BTB on one of the subjects of his documentary.

One of the primary subjects of my film The Day My God Died has been nominated as one of CNN’s Top Ten Heroes of 2010. Anuradha Koirla, founder of Maiti Nepal, is one of the foremost activists working to abolish sex trafficking in Nepal and India.  Maiti Nepal’s main mission is to provide prevention, housing, medical care, counseling, and vocational training to survivors of the sex trade.

The Day My God Died reveals young girls swept up by the child sex slave trade in Nepal and India, and sold into the brothels of the Kamati Pura red light district in Mumbai, which is known even to tourists as “The Cages.” The film lifts the veil of secrecy from this tragedy, with footage from the brothels captured on hidden camera.

Please cast your vote for Ms. Koirla before the deadline on November 18.  The CNN Hero of the year will be revealed Thanksgiving night November 25.

You may also watch The Day My God Died in its entirety online.

A scene from The Real Slumdogs directed by Steve Baker

The Real Slumdogs, airing tonight at 8 PM on the National Geographic Channel, examines what it’s like to live in Asia’s largest slum.

Directed by Steve Baker, the film takes place in Dharavi, Mumbai — which was also the setting for the Academy Award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire.

Much more than a slum, this mini-city bustles with industry, culture, and dreams. The Real Slumdogs, an ITVS International film, aims to show the true faces of Dharavi by talking to the people who live and work everyday of their lives in the slum and struggle to survive in a community that defies expectations.

You’ve seen the Hollywood version; now meet the real slumdogs.

Learn more about the broadcast by visiting the National Geographic website >>

Coincidentally, Project Kashmir premieres on Independent Lens tonight (check local listings). In this beautiful and cogent new show, producers Geeta Patel and Senain Kheshgi sneak their cameras into Kashmir to observe the secretive and anxious lives of the region’s inhabitants, and to look for clues to what started the conflict — which could become nuclear at any time — and how religious and national allegiances can seemingly immunize people to their own most human instincts for survival.

The filmmakers’ journey is especially moving when they find themselves pulled in separate directions by their own divergent ethnicities. Patel — an Indian American Hindu, and Kheshgi — a Pakistani American Muslim find their own friendship eroding as they begin personally identifying with opposite sides of the struggle.

Catch the film tonight on PBS, and watch this exclusive behind-the-scenes footage for a glimpse into this beautiful and deadly region >>

Like the iTunes’ interface, COVE allows users to flip through content horizontally across the screen in a series of stacked images.

The player also features a search engine that locates material by topic or program title; “most watched” and “most emailed” video links at the bottom of the screen; and buttons for sharing and e-mailing videos or buying copies on DVD.

Select full-length episodes of Independent Lens will be available the day after broadcast for seven days. Other program-related video––such as trailers and video extras––will also be available.

JOURNALS OF A WILY SCHOOL, which looks at the life of a young pickpocket in Kolkata, India, is currently available.

Visit COVE this Wednesday to watch POWER PATHS, which depicts the struggle Native American tribes and their allies face in producing solar and wind energy.

Watch Independent Lens and other PBS series on COVE >>

Forget Slumdog Millionaire––here’s the real-life story of survival on the streets of India. Follow Azad, a young pickpocket, who pushes his limits only to get caught by the police. In an effort to crack down on more serious crime, the police offer Azad a full pardon. But there’s a catch––he must turn in his fellow grifters. Will he collaborate or risk it all for life on the streets?

JOURNALS OF A WILY SCHOOL premieres tonight, Oct. 27, at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

Check out the clip below:

INDIAN SCHOOL premieres today on Link TV at 4:30 PM (check local listings). This film received ITVS International funding.

A large crowd gathers at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Speakers Anuja Mehta and Dr. Tarini Bedi discuss the Community Cinema screening of LAKSHMI & ME with Regional Outreach Coordinator Naomi Walker.

A huge crowd packed the Chicago Cultural Center to sit in a dark theater on a beautiful sunny day to watch the Community Cinema screening of LAKSHMI & ME and participate in a lively discussion. In one word: Miraculous!

Guest speakers included: Dr. Tarini Bedi, associate director of the South Asia language and area center and the committee on Southern Asian Studies at the University of Chicago; and Anuja Mehta, coordinator of transitional housing and case manager for Apna Ghar, Inc., a domestic violence shelter for Asian women.

Dr. Bedi and Ms. Mehta gave their initial impressions and thoughts about the film. Mehta went deeper by giving background information on abuse of domestic workers and gave an overview of the types of difficulties South Asian immigrants face in the United States. Many of these women have a hard time dealing with domestic violence and family members often do not come forward to get help she explained.

Dr. Bedi got many questions from audience members looking for a better understanding of the caste system, its history and the different sub-castes and class differences in India. While the issue is very complicated, Dr. Bedi cleared up some common misunderstandings about caste.

In citing the character of “Aunty,” and her use of the word “destiny,” it was pointed out that members of the middle-class can oftentimes absolve themselves of  responsibility for the plight of their servants, saying that they cannot change what one was born to.

Once the discussion hit on the director’s intentions, the audience quickly turned passionate and even heated at points as they disagreed with each other on the purpose and impact of the film. Some people strongly believed that Director Nishtha Jain crossed the line into exploitation, while others argued that without this film, many people would never know about these types of issues facing domestic workers.

One audience member felt that because of the relationship of the employer/employee, Lakshmi (the servant) couldn’t have refused to participate. She believed that Ms. Jain (the employer) should have asked a domestic worker that wasn’t her employee to be in the film. A couple of folks disagreed with that idea, saying that it was crucial to get access for the story to be told in depth; access that a stranger couldn’t provide.

In reading over the written feedback submitted after the film, one audience member wrote “I don’t feel the filmmaker crossed the line, but rather made a path––both for herself and others.”

Despite disagreements about purpose and intention, everyone expressed admiration for Lakshmi and was moved by her story. Let the debate continue.

-Naomi
Regional Outreach Coordinator, Chicago

Learn more about Community Cinema events in your area >>

LAKSHMI & ME was presented by Apna Ghar, South Asia Language and Cultural Center & The Committee on Southern Asian Studies at the University of Chicago, ITVS, The Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and WTTW Channel 11

“In her remarkable documentary, LAKSHMI AND ME, airing as part of PBS’ Independent Lens this month, Jain proposes to ‘cross a line,’ to film her employee.”
Read full review >>

“MILKING THE RHINO deals with Africans’ inceptive efforts to bring sustainable conservation to parts of the continent in ways that, in pointed contrast to the continent’s history of exploitation by colonial powers…”
Read full review >>

“… A rich, twisty, quietly shocking portrait of a life lived in veritable slavery–where Lakshmi’s gender doesn’t trap her, her place in the caste system does–and the rare sort of soul that somehow manages to flourish under such restrictions,” The Seattle Stranger.

Check out the clip below:

LAKSHMI AND ME premieres tonight at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listings).

The Seattle Stranger: “…A rich, twisty, quietly shocking portrait of a life lived in veritable slavery—where Lakshmi’s gender doesn’t trap her, her place in the caste system does—and the rare sort of soul that somehow manages to flourish under such restrictions.”

Check out a preview below:

LAKSHMI AND ME premieres Tuesday, March 24 at 10:00 PM on Independent Lens on PBS (check local listing).