Coquitlam Public Library

Driving with Selvi

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videorecording

Driving with Selvi

Originally produced by Collective Eye Films in 2016

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Selvi, like so many girls living within India's patriarchal culture, is forced to marry at a young age, only to find herself in a violent and abusive marriage. One day in deep despair, she chooses to escape, going to a highway with the intention of throwing herself under the wheels of a bus. Instead she gets on the bus, choosing to live... and goes on to become South India's first female taxi driver. We first meet 18-year-old Selvi at a girls' shelter in 2004 - timid, soft-spoken, a fresh runaway from a difficult life. Over a ten-year journey, we see a remarkable transformation as Selvi finds her voice and defies all expectations - learning to drive, starting her own taxi company, leading seminars to educate other women, and much more

live action