A young girl from the Indian village of Maharashtra defies family tradition by participating in a kabaddi tournament. Bali, is a bittersweet portrait of growing up as a girl in rural India. In a culture where grief and pain are rarely articulated, the film explores how young girls cope with hardship through humour, escapism, and quiet resilience.
India, 25 min, 2025
Production: Rajiv Mehrotra, Aparna Sanyal
Country of film: India
Director: Amoli Birewar
Writer: Amoli Birewar
Director of photography: Rusha Bose, Riddhi Goenka e Amoli Birewar
Editor: Pranav Patil
Sound: Himang Pali
Amoli Birewar is a filmmaker from Mumbai, India. She has worked on a range of non-fiction projects for global broadcasters and organisations such as the National Geographic Society and the United Nations. Her debut short documentary, Baliis supported by the Public Service Broadcasting Trust of India and has screened at leading festivals around the world. Her work is intimate and quietly political with a touch of humour.
