In the remote Tibetan villages of Upper Mustang Nepal, climate change has desiccated the landscape. The water table has dropped drastically, forcing the abandonment of the ancient village of Dhye. ” Dhye Dreams,” is a 30-minute documentary that intimately explores the lives of three woman fighting against their fate: Sonam Sangmo, Kunchok Dolkar, and Lhakpa Choezon. Most of the villagers have moved down to a river-fed valley and the new frontier town of Chambaleh, where they hope to grow a commercial apple crop. But Kunchok and Lhakpa are staying with their beloved livestock and fields, up in the mountains. Their stories highlight the resilience and struggle for the survival of isolated Himalayan villages battling against dramatic climate change.
This film became a conceptual idea in the spring of 2023 when I heard & read about the growing issues of Upper Mustang’s climate situation. Other reports about the issue focused on migration and its direct economic impacts on the community. I was missing a deeper storyline and the women’s perspective. Since I know women are disproportionately affected by climate change, I wanted to explore this situation through their eyes.
The issues portrayed in the film can, at first glance, be perceived as solely local and specific to Upper Mustang, and although some of them are, I also hope to bridge the gap between remote areas like Upper Mustang and the rest of the world with this film.
Climate migration, water scarcity, gender equality, and loss of culture are global issues. And even though some experience them on a deeper level than others, they all happen throughout this world in different ways and with different levels of acuteness. This is why this film will impact a diverse selection of people from diverse backgrounds and places. Maybe a former refugee displaced from their home country can relate to the loss of culture the three women in this film are grappling with; maybe people from the Pacific islands can relate to how changing waters are bringing threats and changes to life as they know it, and maybe a woman from downtown around the world can relate to the complexity of navigating society as a woman. Although the situations are different, we have much more in common than differences, and to some level, we are all just trying to survive and tackle the changing climate we live in.
In addition, I hope that this story reaches a global audience because these voices and stories need to be heard widely. They deserve a platform to speak from, and I hope to offer that platform through this film.
I believe in this story’s ability to impact people widely and profoundly.