Sex, Death and the Gods (2011)

2011-01-241h 15m

An intimate journey into the twilight world of the devadasi, Hindus who are married to god in childhood and at puberty sold for sex. The girls of Karnataka, southern India who are forced to live in this ancient tradition despite it having been declared illegal for more than 60 years.

Related Movies

498611-thumbnail

Full Circle (1992)

Authors, teachers, social activists and feminists explore manifestations of contemporary women's spirituality in the Western world.

466890-thumbnail

The Goddesses of Food (2017)

From 3 stars chefs to female cooks, sommelières, entrepreneuses all around the world, meet innovative women who want to change the world through gastronomy.

1452524-thumbnail

Four on Eleven : The Fading Glory Of Parsi Cricket (2025)

The Parsi Community has inked an incredible mark in Cricket, with a rich and storied legacy dating back to the early days of Cricket in India. Parsi Cricketers played a pioneering role in nurturing and popularising the game, producing some iconic cricketers. However, over time, the Parsi Community's influence on the sport has gradually declined, reflecting broader changes. While their contributions remain essential to the history of Indian cricket, the community's active participation on the field has diminished. But, is there still hope left?

470184-thumbnail

Himalaya: The Land of Women (2012)

At an altitude of nearly 4,000 meters, Sking is one of the most isolated villages in the Himalayan region of Zanskar. In just three months, from August to October, the Zanskaris have to harvest and store all their food for the coming year. All the women-young and old alike-work nonstop, from dawn to dusk, and worry about the arrival of winter. Filmed from the point of view of a subjective camera by a young female ethnologist, Land of Women offers a sensitive and poetic immersion in the life of four generations of women during harvesting season. We share their rare intimacy and gradually grow attached to them.

24704-thumbnail

India: Kingdom of the Tiger (2002)

Journey across India, a breath taking land shaped by a myriad of cultures, customs and traditions. Come face to face with the Bengal Tiger and explore the work of this majestic creature with stunning clarity. Soar over blue-hazed Himalayan peaks and sweep down towards the thundering Indian Ocean as we celebrate the power and beauty of India's greatest ambassador - the mighty Bengal Tiger.

486093-thumbnail

Coffee Time (2013)

A quartet of refined elderly ladies gets together for coffee. Neatly dressed in houndstooth and pearls, they sip from elegant china and nibble on sweet cakes while discussing Viagra, cock rings, orgasms and quickies. Nothing's off the table as they reminisce about the past and revel in the sexual revolution that's come up around them, empowering their pleasure well into their twilight years.

486283-thumbnail

Siberian Love (2017)

After 20 years of living in Berlin, the director Olga Delane goes back to her roots in a small Siberian village, where she is confronted with traditional views of relationships, life and love. The man is the master in the home; the woman’s task is to beget children and take care of the household (and everything else, too). Siberian Love provides unrivaled insights into the (love) life of a Siberian village and seeks the truth around the universal value of traditional relationships.

1082027-thumbnail

Mahatma Gandhi Noa Khali March (1947)

Remarkable amateur footage of Mahatma Gandhi shot by his great nephew in 1947.

290862-thumbnail

Man for a Day (2012)

Gender activist Diane Torr’s worldwide appearances and workshops are now legendary. For the past thirty years, the main focus of this performance artist’s work has been an exploration of the theoretical, artistic as well as the practical aspects of gender identity. Katarina Peters’ documentary observes a Diane Torr workshop in Berlin in which a group of open-minded women come together to discover the secrets of masculinity. What makes a man a man and a woman a woman? Precisely when and where is gender identity formatted? How much is nature and how much nurture? Each of Torr’s workshops represents an open-ended laboratory experiment in social behaviour in which the question is posed: is it possible to deliberately play out different roles and create a space in which to transgress both masculine and feminine characteristics?

1252823-thumbnail

Tiger: The Elusive Princess (1999)

After 25 years of the Project Tiger Scheme operating in the Madhya Pradesh, these magnificent animals have become more trusting, permitting an extraordinary intimate film which follows them from sunrise to sunset, in monsoon rains and in shimmering heat

473725-thumbnail

An immersion into the Divine Feminine (2017)

By drawing a parallel between the Indian Durga Puja festival and other forms of celebrating the divine feminine, Santa Shakti reveals the Sacred Power beyond languages and religions.

880528-thumbnail

Immortal Stupa (1961)

Documentary on the Great Stupa at Sanchi, built by the Emperor Ashoka, and adorned with some of the finest examples of Buddhist art in the world.

294108-thumbnail

The Secret Life of Geisha (1999)

Documentary about the world of the Japanese geisha. Unattainable by all but the wealthy and powerful, geisha are the ultimate massagers of the male ego. Behind the delicate fan and enigmatic smile can also be found a darker side to the geisha story, including treachery and suicide.

1467290-thumbnail

Saving the Storks with Sir David Attenborough (2024)

The remarkable story of one woman raising an army of over 10,000 people to help save one of the rarest birds on Earth from the depths of extinction.

269757-thumbnail

Fascinating India (2014)

"Fascinating India" spreads an impressive panorama of India’s historical and contemporary world. The film presents the most important cities, royal residences and temple precincts. It follows the trail of different religious denominations, which have influenced India up to the present day. Simon Busch and Alexander Sass travelled for months through the north of the Indian subcontinent to discover what is hidden under India’s exotic and enigmatic surface, and to show what is rarely revealed to foreigners. The film deals with daily life in India. In Varanasi, people burn their dead to ashes. At the Kumbh Mela, the biggest religious gathering of the world, 35 million pilgrims bathe in holy River Ganges. This is the first time India is presented in such an alluring and engaging fashion on screen.

853961-thumbnail

Ganges (2007)

A journey that follows the Ganges from its source deep within the Himalayas through to the fertile Bengal delta, exploring the natural and spiritual worlds of this sacred river.

284506-thumbnail

India Cabaret (1985)

An exploration of the 'respectable' and 'immoral' stereotypes of women in Indian society told from the point of view of two striptease dancers in a Bombay cabaret.

285265-thumbnail

Yellow Fever (2012)

What does beauty look like? In this award-winning short, Kenyan filmmaker Ng’endo Mukii combines animation, performance, and experimental techniques to create a visually arresting and psychologically penetrating exploration of the insidious impact of Western beauty standards and media-created ideals on African women’s perceptions of themselves. From hair-straightening to skin-lightening, YELLOW FEVER unpacks the cultural and historical forces that have long made Black women uncomfortable, literally, in their own skin.

482232-thumbnail

Repense o Elogio (2017)

A documentary that proposes a conversation about the way children are praised. While girls are often praised solely for their appearance, boys can receive compliments by highlighting their skills. "Rethink the Praise" reflects on the power of words and culture that has brought an imbalance in the way we commend our boys and girls.

287140-thumbnail

District Officer (1945)

The work of a district officer in the province of Bengal.