Now the high demand for female guides has prompted the sisters to train approximately 20 to 25 young Nepali women twice a year to build capacity for women in the industry, also a first in Nepal.

My film is motivated by my passion to use my creative talents to raise awareness of the need for greater gender equality.

Since my departure from daily news reporting, I have concentrated on women-centered pieces that document contributions and personal experiences of individual women. In short, they are narratives that tell "herstory" - women's experiences and contributions that have traditionally been overlooked or disregarded.

I used my creative story-telling ability to document the lives of pioneering women I met in Nepal who are relentlessly challenging the enforced gender barriers to greater economic freedom.

Although I recognize my inevitably strong influence over the way the story is told, I wanted the women to tell their own story without my Western voice mediating it. Rather than focusing on the poverty and social disparity of many women in Nepal, this empowering story shows the impact and positive change that these few determined and visionary women have in their society.

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FILM CREDITS:

Director and Producer: Lisa Hoffe
Camera: Lisa Hoffe
Location Audio: Lisa Hoffe
Editing: Cyril Reid
Post Production Sound: Cyril Reid

For entire credits, please see the added story to the right.

For more information about the film and the Nepali training program, please visit www.trailblazing.ca.