Director Thomas Morgan and producer Angela Bernhard Thomas recently spoke with “Breakthrough Entertainment” about their new documentary “Waiting for Mamu.”
“Waiting for Mamu,” which screens 5 p.m. Friday, Feb. 28 and 9 a.m. Sunday, March 2 at the Sedona Film Festival, follows internationally-lauded social worker and 2012 CNN Hero of the Year award-winner Pushpa Basnet as she helps children whose parents are sent to prison and, lacking any other guardians, are locked away along with them.
Listen to “Breakthrough Entertainment’s” full interview with Morgan and Thomas by clicking HERE. The following is an excerpt from the interview in which the director and producer discuss the inception of “Waiting for Mamu.”
“I met Pushpa [Basnet] really by chance. We were at the same dinner and … I listened to her tell this story with such compassion and passion for her work. At first I thought that I had misunderstood what she was saying. I couldn’t believe that there were children in prison. So I asked her right then and there, ‘Can I make a documentary film about this’ I think she thought I was joking but … I was truly committed. I didn’t really know how I was going to fund it or how I was going to go about it but the story was just so incredible that I had to do it.” – Thomas Morgan
“[Pushpa] really is the most important piece. One of the most amazing things about this story is that Pushpa started this when she was 21 years old. She was studying social work in school and ended up visiting a prison. That is where she learned about this situation. One day when she went to leave the prison a young girl grabbed her shawl, looked up and gave her this really big smile. It just touched Pushpa’s heart so much that when she left she knew she had to do something to help these children.
“So she just started to, one by one, slowly bring these children in. And when they come into the home, they are just so blessed and enjoy being there. Pushpa makes sure that they get a good education. She gives them lots of wonderful food – she is a wonderful cook – they do crafts, and they learn all about taking care of the home and being a part of a family. So the environment that she is able to provide for these children is amazing. It is truly a blessing.” – Angela Bernhard Thomas
