Miriam Chandy Menacherry’s “From the Shadows” Selected for Breaking Through the Lens Program

“From the Shadows,” a documentary about child adult trafficking from Miriam Chandy Menacherry, has been chosen for the Breaking Through the Lens initiative out of the Cannes Film Market. Breaking Through the Lens introduces women and non-binary filmmakers with projects that are far into development to financiers at “top-tier film markets,” Variety reports.

“From the Shadows” follows Leena Kejriwal, an artist who spray paints silhouettes in public spaces, marking them as #missing; activist Hasina Kharbhih, who helps girls rescued from adult trafficking cross international borders; and Samina, a survivor in a prolonged legal battle against her traffickers. “Parallel narratives intersect to reveal a sliver of hope when women challenge a powerful trafficking nexus operating in a country where every eight minutes a child goes missing,” the source describes.

Menacherry and co-producer Aliya Furniturewala began working on the doc six years ago. Once post-production is done, “From the Shadows” will make its way to the festival circuit.

“‘From the Shadows’ is different from films on trafficking because it shuns sensationalism for a quiet, dignified approach,” Menacherry explained. “After most of the filming, Samina realized she still did not have a court verdict. She told me she would like her face to be concealed until she gets the judgment. I had to grapple with her wanting to share her story and yet her face that reflects every emotion and nuance to be hidden.” The filmmaker continued, “As a woman I understood her but as a filmmaker I went into the edit room with much conflict. This is not the film I had shot… but one I would have to discover how to craft respecting the wishes of a survivor. This was my moment of realizing how life resembles art and art resembles life, much like the silent brooding shadow whose story one must dig deep to discover,” she said

Furniturewala added, “In a society where women need constant approval for acceptance, there appears a girl brave enough to speak up and challenge the very thread of our existence. And why should her voice not be heard?”

“Our team is greatly inspired by the six-year journey the filmmakers have been on with this film, and the powerful yet delicate way in which they tell the story,” Daphne Schmon of Breaking Through the Lens said. “Huge congratulations for what they’ve accomplished.”

Menacherry previously helmed documentaries “Lyari Notes” and “The Rat Race.” She also helped work on the anthology doc “A Window of Time – Lockdown Diaries.”