Nepal, Norway
89’, 2015
DIRECTED BY
Frode Storaas, Dipesh Kharel
PRODUCED BY
University Museum of Bergen, Norway, and Media Help Line, Nepal
SCRIPTWRITER
Frode Storaas, Dipesh Kharel
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Frode Storaas, Dipesh Khare
EDITED BY
Frode Storaas, Dipesh Kharel
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In the Okharbot village in Western Nepal, a few persons still know the age-old traditional practise of mining, smelting and casting copper. Copper has a number of symbolic meanings and economic aspects associated with exchange and healing propreties, as well the Hindu god Shiva. The complex caste system of Nepal, although abolished, still structures the lives of most people. The untouchable smiths, the Kami, produce one of the purest metals in Hindu cosmology. The film follows Ujir, the foreman, who guides the processes of mining and smelting. During smelting, the festival of Dassain is organized. The festival is part of the social and cultural context of traditional copper processing shown in the film.