Director: Akshaya Sawant

Since 2015 Maharashtra, India has been in pains of a man-made drought. India, especially in the rural areas, follows a patriarchal social system. To preserve her honour the woman is married off with huge amounts of dowry as soon as she turns 18. With no income because of the relentless drought, the farmers get drawn into a vicious debt cycle. In the communities of Maharashtra, a family's honour is everything; not being able to provide for wife and children destroys it. Since 2013 farmers are committing mass suicides - numbers reaching 1100 per year - as a result of the conditions.
Intimate and eye-opening, Talking to the wind shows the social and psychological effects of climate change as it impacts identity, the idea of masculinity and the pressures of social structure.

This film is part of a combined programme with: Mud road. Both visually stunning films with powerful stories.