This feature-length, social-issue documentary tells the compelling story of seven sisters in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India who inherit a spice business from their father. In Rajasthan’s aggressively male dominated culture, they are cautioned to sell the company to a man. Instead, they face down threats of physical violence to run the business on their own.
The Spice Girls of Rajasthan is being produced by Cielo Films, a Vancouver-based, independent film production company whose aim is to produce thought-provoking and engaging media with a focus on women’s rights and healing. The president of the company, Gillian Greenfeld, is an anthropologist by training and a filmmaker by design. Her most recent film (she is co-director) is PHOOLAN, a documentary on Phoolan Devi. Gillian and her team are currently completing the development phase of the project. They have met with the protagonists of the film in Jodhpur, secured their participation and backing, and conducted preliminary interviews.