I Am Belmaya – film screening
A tale of rebellion, courage and hope in patriarchal Nepal. Silenced and subjugated all her life, uneducated Belmaya takes up the movie camera to tell her story. Spanning 14 years, Sue Carpenter and Belmaya Nepali‘s feature-length documentary follows Belmaya’s transformational journey as she stands up to her husband and society, and reclaims her voice through filmmaking.
“Such a raw, powerful film. One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen” – Sophie Cousins, The Lancet
Sue Carpenter, Director/Producer, has been involved in Nepal and women's rights for 20 years. A journalist and photographer, she moved into documentary filmmaking in 2013, and set up Tideturner Films, to make independent documentaries that spark social change. In 2006-07 she lived in Pokhara, running the My World, My View photo project, where she met Belmaya Nepali. Sue is a Founder Trustee of GlobalGirl Media UK, empowering young women through digital media training.
A story 14 years in the making, I Am Belmaya follows an uneducated young Dalit woman’s transformational journey from subjugated wife to award-winning documentary filmmaker.
The Steve Sinnott Foundation has the opportunity to host an exclusive online screening of this beautiful, inspirational film, set in Nepal, before it is released to the public. Afterwards we have a specially recorded Q&A with director Sue Carpenter and co-director Belmaya Nepali.
"I am hugely touched and impressed by this beautiful work. A daring and heartbreaking film, which fills one with hope and admiration. Its charm lies in its humour and sorrow, so deftly intermingled on the screen. Five shining stars from me”
- Joanna Lumley
Trailer:
Event Schedule:
From 6pm, Friday 9 April until 11pm on Saturday, 10 April:
Screening of I Am Belmaya (1hr 22 mins; you can view the film at any time between these hours)
Followed by: Pre-recorded Q&A with Sue and Belmaya (16 mins)
You'll receive an email from Tideturner Films with your viewing link and password, 30 minutes before the event starts.
Book your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-steve-sinnott-foundation-private-screening-i-am-belmaya-tickets-146859128607
Tickets and Donations
Tickets are sold on a donation basis, from £10 each. All profits will be split equally between The Steve Sinnott Foundation (for our Positive Periods programme, a training programme that teaches girls and women how to make their own period pads), and Tideturner Films (to fund the film's outreach to amplify its important messages, with 20% of Tideturner's share going direct to Belmaya and her daughter).
Audience reaction:
We hope you enjoy the screening of this moving and beautiful film.
Steve Sinnott Foundation • March 25, 2021
Mike Fleetham of Thinking Classroom has written a book " Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders ". A collection of original ideas, advice from professionals, quotes, and tips to support and inspire all leaders. Perfect for new and established leaders working in education, especially headteachers. "Being a headteacher is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an aeroplane." To Enter the Competition To win a copy of Headlines please share your inspiring education or life lesson in no more than 600 words. The winning article will also be published in our next edition of Engage. Send your words of inspiration to admin@stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk 📅 Deadline: 5th September 2025 Stuck on Ideas? Here are some questions and prompts to get you started! What’s the one lesson school didn’t teach you, but life did? Think of a moment that changed your path, what happened? What piece of advice has helped you grow the most? When did a challenge turn into an opportunity for you? What story from your life would inspire someone on the other side of the world? What’s the life lesson that unlocked your next chapter? Your words could uplift, empower and be seen by many. Let your story inspire the world! 🌍💡 Good luck and we cant wait to read all the entries!
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
