As CU Associate Professor of Film Studies Kathleen Man finishes her new film, “Beauty Mark,” she reflects on her recent awards for one of her previous films, “Sita, a Girl from Jambu.”
On Nov. 12, Man received her seventh award for the film. The award, Best Feature Film in the category of Children’s Advocacy, was presented to Man at the Artivist Film Festival in Hollywood, Calif.
“Beauty Mark,” which will be finished in January, is a feature-length documentary film about the life of former tri-athlete champion Diane Israel. Man and Isreal are both directing this film.
In “Beauty Mark,” Israel, who is now a psychotherapist, looks back on her experience as an athlete who almost died from starving herself.
“Through this film we can spread a very important message that beauty comes from within and can be expressed by serving others and leaving a mark on the world,” Man said.
“Sita, a Girl from Jambu” is a narrative documentary film about an educational street theater piece performed by a group of young women in rural Nepal.
The play tells the story of a girl who is trafficked into sex slavery and was developed to raise awareness of the child sex trade. Ten percent of the film shows the girls performing this play in Nepal. This is the documentary element of the movie, Man said.
The remaining 90 percent of the film is a cinematic adaptation of the film. The film cuts back to the original play about six times.
“I did it that way because if I just adapted the street theater piece then I would be telling their story for them; instead the film is a microphone for their voice,” Man said.
She said real change and rehabilitation must work together from the grassroots level.
The street theater piece attempts to inform parents about the danger signs to help them prevent children from becoming victims of the sex trade.
“We have a real chance of making a difference through education and prevention,” Man said.
Other awards for “Sita, a Girl from Jambu” include the Audience Award at the San Diego Women Film Festival in San Diego, Calif. The festival took place Oct. 5-8 and the award was the sixth one for this film.
“Success to me is having the privilege of being in the position to do meaningful work,” Man said.
Ninety-nine percent of the film was funded by grants from CU.
Before creating “Sita, a Girl from Jambu,” Man produced a short film titled “Kind of a Blur,” starring Sandra Oh.
“Kind of a Blur” is available on iTunes. It is one of the most downloaded short films on iTunes, Man said.
Man primarily teaches narrative filmmaking.
“She really understands her students and how to shoot a low-budget film,” said Jason Steyaert, a senior film studies major.
Man has produced her films with a unique type of cinematography .
“My film style, for the most part, is cin