“I will show the world I am that girl who makes doorways of freedom, hope, and relief,” says one of the students at Shanti Bhavan in a trailer for “Daughters of Destiny.” Directed by Oscar winner Vanessa Roth, the four-part documentary series follows five girls growing up at co-ed residential school for “the poorest of the poor,” as the founder of Shanti Bhaven describes.
“The expectation for these girls and all the children who attend Shanti Bhavan is that they must grow up to support themselves, lift their families and communities out of poverty, and contribute to the larger world,” the series’ official synopsis details.
The trailer makes it clear that the girls have taken the school’s mission to heart. “I have to use the opportunity in order to change the life that I left behind,” one student says. Another adds, “I have the responsibility of giving back to society.”
Roth filmed the girls for seven years, and chronicles their struggle to re-define gender and class in the classroom and at home. She won an Oscar in 2008 for producing “Freeheld,” a doc short about a lesbian couple’s fight to share pension benefits. The story later inspired a narrative feature of the same name starring Julianne Moore and Ellen Page.
“Daughters of Destiny” launches on Netflix July 28.
