Sunakali; Teenage girls’ journey to glory

Sunakali; Teenage girls' journey to glory

Mugu lies in the most remote part of Karnali Zone — the least developed zone in mid-western Nepal. The average life-expectancy in Mugu is 47 years — male 49 and female 39 years. Literacy rate in the district stands at 29 percent. Female literacy rate stands at only 9 percent. Mugu has its own pains and difficulties. Only five percent of total land is arable. Local food production can meet the demand for only three months. The district is dependent on transportation grant provided by the government and INGOs for the remaining nine months.

This is the story of the rise of a women’s football team in Mugu. The story revolves around Sunkali. Despite her hardships, the girl has an amazing passion for football. Sunkali and her friends gather at a steep ground in the pretext of collecting fodder. Their future took new turn when they got opportunity to represent their school in district level football tournament. Thus Team Mugu is formed. Though Team Mugu is defeated in its first competitive outing, they go on to lift the national tournament held in the plains of Tarai. The entire district turns out to welcome the girls when they return home with the trophy. Through football, the girls managed to change society’s perception toward women which would have, otherwise, taken years.

Director : Bhojraj Bhat

Concept Story: Bimal Singh Bist

Music : Kutumba

Camera : Prakash KC, Manoj Maharjan, Jeewan Shrestha

Editor : Bharat Mani Regmi

Script: Bhojraj Bhat

Script translator: Bishnumani Bhattarai

Narration: Usha Bhatta (Nepali version), Shibani Pandey (English version)

Produced by: Good Neighbors, Nepal