Synopsis of the Film: Siama was thrown out of his home in Northeast India when his family discovered he was HIV positive. Born into a wealthy family and once one of the most promising sport stars in the state, Siama was the National Whushu and Judo champion selected to represent India at competitions in the USA and Philippines. However, with this international success came a life of partying and drug abuse. His HIV positive diagnosis resulting in ostracization, with him penniless on the road with a wife and infant daughter to support. The child became unwell, was diagnosed as HIV positive and died when she was just a year old.
Today, Siama somehow manages his life working in construction in between bouts of ill health. His dream is to set up a judo academy in the state capital, but for this he has to make a trip to his childhood home to retrieve his certificates and medals and also meet his sister whom he has not seen for many years.
This is a story of a man who is fighting to regain his identity even in the face of hostile environments that an HIV positive person has to face living in India.
The Northeastern Indian state has highest prevalence of HIV AIDS in the country. Bio-filmography of the Director: Anirban Dutta is a photographer, filmmaker and a media educator based in Delhi, India. He started his career in television in 1996, and set up Metamorphosis, an independent media house in 2003. He has directed and produced several documentary films and created many photographic essays on topics as diverse as child rights, environmental issues, reproductive health and explorations of gender and sexuality. His work has been shown extensively in India and abroad. He is the author of two books, Shadows on the Mountains and A Handful of Rice.
Annual Program Without Frontiers - Beyond the Mountains
