Short Synopsis 

“The Devil is Inside Her!” is a documentary that travels back in time to explore the similarities between the witch-hunt in Europe 500 years ago and today´s witch-hunts in Chhattisgarh, India. Where thousands of women are being murdered after being labeled as “witches.” The film explores the social and religious context in which this form of violence is possible and how it repeats throut history. Is history repeating itself? 

Long Synopsis

The film highlights the stakes for the communities affected by these witch hunts. Statistics from India’s National Crime Report show that between 1500 and 2000 women have been killed due to accusations of witchcraft in the district of Chhattisgarh, but human rights activists are confident that the actual figure is at least ten times higher. Women are beaten, raped, shaved, humiliated, and murdered. Most of those who survive are forced to leave their homes. One of these women is Sumitra. Sumitra’s life was suddenly destroyed, and to keep living and start a new life, she was forced to abandon her village.

The documentary draws parallels between what is happening today in India and the historical persecution of witches during the 16th century. Through interviews with historians, sociologists, philosophers, and psychedelic historians, the film explores the transition from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance. It delves into the mindset of that time, the plague and its consequences, and the influence of the witch-hunting manual called “Malleus Maleficarum” (Hammer of Witches), the moment when the witch stereotype emerged, and Renaissance artworks that played a fundamental role in the collective imagination of the era.

We travel to Zugarramurdi, Spain where an iconic witch craze took place. The Basque witch trials of the seventeenth century represent the last attempt at rooting out supposed witchcraft from Navarre by the Spanish Inquisition. Every year there’s a recreation of the events that took place in Logroño during 1610. 

Like Sumitra, there are thousands of women facing this unjust situation in India. The documentary provides insight into the challenges faced by human rights organizations working to protect the legal rights of these accused women and the progress that has been made in the fight against witch hunts. Through interviews with victims of witch hunts and activists, the film’s intention is to give a voice to those who have been silenced and marginalized by society.

While the witch is still seen as an evil figure in India, we visit the United States in the present time and showcase the experiences of the witch and pagan community in Los Angeles, California. We highlight interesting figures like the witch, performer, and  “LA Times best-selling author” Pleasant Gehman, an iconic figure in the occult scene; Gabriela Herstik, author of “Inner Witch” and “Sacred Sex,” who also identifies as a witch. They show us what it’s like to be a witch in California in 2023. There, the witch community is diverse and has an open atmosphere where people practice magic or witchcraft without being persecuted or judged. Instead, witchcraft is used as a tool for empowerment. Pleasant, also known as Princess Farhana, takes us behind the scenes to events like the witch-themed burlesque show “Belle, Book, and Candle,” where the hidden community of Los Angeles comes together.

This film also explores subjects like: Magic, psychedelics, otherness, religion, superstition, science and dives into the psychology behind our fears and fantasies. 

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Locations: India,Spain,USA,Germany,Mexico

Estimated Duration: 80min

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What We Need & What You Get

– We need your support to be able to finish shooting in Chastisgrha, India. 
there are 3 women that have been victims of violence since they were labeled as “witches”. It is very important for our film to make their voices be heard. Its very important to us to be able to include these victims in the film, as this is a current ongoing situation in India, we need to shoot as soon as possible. Productions are expensive, and the time consuming nature of documentaries is even more so but we have been able to shoot 90% of the footage for the film. 

– The weather in Chhastisgrah gets complicated after the month of April so our goal is to shoot for 7 days during March 2024. 

– After this shooting in India, we will be done with the production stage and will start the Post-production process  

– We are working on alternative funding strategies for the Post-production of this project. With our applications to production funds and fundraising efforts in Mexico as well as international funds, we are confident that we will obtain the necessary financial support to bring our project to life and share a powerful story with the world.

PERKS!!!

– Thank you in end credits

– Own a digital version of the documentary

– Attend a screening during Post-production

– Associate Producer credit 

– Executive Producer credit 

The Impact

• Your contribution fuels the power of storytelling, shedding light on a current social situation. 
• By supporting our project, you will have a direct impact on letting the victims voice be heard.

• Our impact strategy includes partnering with human rights organizations in India to promote their work and to provide resources for those affected by witch hunts. Maybe we can change some minds.

Risks & Challenges

As with any creative process where all parties involved seek perfection, the exact timing for film completion may vary. The good news is that we already have most of the footage needed and have kicked off the editing process.

The Crew

Jimmy graduated with honors from CENTRO University in Mexico City and then continued his education in NYU and ECAM (Spain). His feature debut, The Third Path, participated at Distrital, Cinelatino Toulouse, La Habana and other festivals. His second film, Omar y Gloria, premiered at the Play-Doc Festival in Spain and was screened in more than 20 festivals worldwide. As an editor he has worked in a variety of projects from documentary to fiction with films like: Alchemy of the Spirit, King of the Party, Bloody Famous (TV show) , documentaries like Kurosawa’s Grave, Paddle Out, a two episode series for Nat Geo and other projects like music videos, live concerts and video art . 

www.jimmycohen.com

Filmmaker and photographer, Eugenia Montiel Pagés has developed a solid career as a film producer, focusing in recent years on creative documentaries, while also producing fiction feature films, short films, music videos, television series and commercials. 

She is the producer of En el hoyo (2006) –winner of the Grand Jury Prize for Best International Documentary at Sundance and the most awarded Mexican documentary of the year–; Será por eso (2010),  Diario de un cocinero (2012); Cien años con Juan Rulfo (2017) and Érase una vez (2018), all directed by Juan Carlos Rulfo. Eugenia has also stood out as production coordinator of the award-winning Aro Tolbukhin, in the mind of the murderer (2002), directed by Isaac-Pierre Racine, Agustí Villaronga and Lydia Zimmermann, and as executive producer of the documentary Finca (2009) with Natalie Portman, and as an associate of Matria (2014), by Fernando Llanos, winner of Best Documentary Film at the Morelia International Film Festival. For many years, she has been a creative production teacher at the Cinematographic Training Center, CCC México, and promotes a project creation laboratory for producers.

Born into a family of social reportage photographers, she has worked in this specialty for years. In addition, she has always been interested in other areas such as scenic, artistic, travel and documentary photography. She studied Audiovisual Communication at the Pontifical University of Salamanca (Spain 2001-2006) and Photography Direction at the International School of Film and Television of San Antonio de los Baños (Cuba, 2011-2014).

She has worked on fiction and documentary audiovisual projects, both in filming and post-production, at the national level and in collaborations with other countries such as Guatemala, Holland and Bosnia. Currently she continues working as a photographer and videographer in different fields.

Anand was born in 1979 in a small town of Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh in central India. Studied Literature, Psychology and History for graduate studies and later on History for masters. Growing up in a small town surrounded by one of the most forest rich states of India, he was fascinated by the tribal culture of the region and did some research papers on it during his (unfinished) PhD program as well. Never in his mind he even remotely dreamt of becoming a filmmaker and pursued his dreams of going in the field of academics, secured a teaching position in a college. Little did he know that his destiny was something else. A divorce triggered mid-life crises propelled him on the path of travels, social work, spirituality (Buddhist philosophy) and he ended up in Vienna, hanging out with filmmaking students, got inspired by the medium of storytelling through documentary films. He learned some basics of filmmaking and editing from them for 2 months and mover to Mumbai, also know as India’s filmmaking capital. He spent the next years learning the craft and has done several of short documentaries, 2 feature length movies as DP and editor, 5 short films, multiple commercials and a couple of music videos. He now lives in Mumbai and works full time as indie filmmaker.

Ben Lopez is an established leader and consultant in the global DEIB space. Born in Mexico City, raised in Tucson and based in Los Angeles, Ben developed a deep expertise and data-driven solutions to help expand the talent pipeline and elevate Latine and BIPoC communities in the entertainment, media, and tech ecosystem. Via his work as a producer and as the leader of NALIP, he contributed to the growing viability of Latine stories in the United States and abroad. As a prominent thought leader with a specialization in LATAM and Latine-focused content as well as industry inclusion, he delivered speeches and talks at festivals and markets including: Cannes Lions, Outfest, SANFIC in Chile, MIP Cancún, Sundance, SXSW, FICG and European Film Market in Berlin. Ben has been featured on national and international publications and media such as Variety, the Hollywood Reporter, the New York Times, the LA Times, and NBC Universal.  As producer and Founder/CEO of L21, Ben remains active in creating channels to fund, support, and drive content focused on diverse communities in Hollywood and beyond.

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