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A preview hosted at the Russian Cultural Centre on Friday confirmed Director Gorakh Bista's penchant for not only exploring unconventional storylines, but literally digging out unexpected treasures from remote corners of the country. The Blacksmith delves into the recent history of a community of Dalit blacksmiths in Phalamkhani, Parbat, by following them into the iron mines they last worked 70 years ago.
"They are the poorest of the poor now, as you might expect," says Bista of the octogenarian miners he interviewed for the documentary. "The surprising thing is how much better off their community was back then, being the centre of the iron trade before it collapsed." The question The Blacksmith asks of old-timers such as Bhave Kami as they recreate a day of mining and smelting is: could mining be a viable prospect for the community once more?
Whatever happens to Phalamkhani's mines, The Blacksmith is a timely reminder of the pioneering role the blacksmiths of this village and others like it played in modernising the state of Nepal. In The Blacksmith, viewers will be transported back to these early days.
The Blacksmith (30 minutes)
Director: Gorakh Bista
Producer: Birendra Malla
Script: Rabi Thapa & Prem Sharma
Narration: Rabin Sharma
