Doc Days of Summer: Presenting encores of the summer's best documentaries.
The students of Shanti Bhavan residential school
in Bangalore, India, imagine a future that defies their
"untouchable" caste. Ostracized and oppressed
by virtue of birth alone, the young men and women
of Shanti Bhavan’s Grade 12 class intend to break
a cycle entrenched for generations by becoming the
first Dalit students in India’s history to undertake
the national Indian School Certificate exams. After 13
years of preparation, the students nervously focus
on exam day. As pressure mounts, confidence wavers.
Inflation has made it difficult to attract good teachers
and questions arise as to whether or not the class is
ready for the exam challenge. Some students crack under
the weight of parental expectations, while others fear
bad luck will forever seal their fate. With their futures
hanging in the balance, the students look to one another
for support in this powerful testimonial from those
who refuse to be silenced. Michelle Latimer, Hot Docs
In English and Tamil, with English subtitles.
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