Losing Touch - A Documentary Film

Nepal is one of the hot spots in the world, where leprosy is still part of everyday life. New patients arrive at the hospitals each week and in almost every case, the diagnosis marks a turning point in the person’s life. Being affected by leprosy does not just mean being sick, but rather makes you “untouchable”, barring you from becoming a regular member of society ever again.

Fortunately, there are initiatives to help these people. One of them is New SADLE, a Nepali non-governmental organization. New SADLE provides medical treatment and living quarters to every person it takes in. Those who can work are offered a job, thus enabling them to financially support themselves once again.

“Losing Touch” will show you what it can mean to have contracted leprosy in the 21st century. We do not take sides, we do not judge. We just want to make people aware of things happening beyond their respective horizons. Because we – the lucky inhabitants of the so called developed world – have also lost touch …

We want to make a film that moves people. A film that tells real stories, real facts, but that most of all leaves it to the viewer to come to his or her own conclusions. Which brings us right to our target audience: This film will not be made for entertainment but for people who want to take a look beyond their respective horizons. We cannot change the world all in one go, but what we can do is to at least address a small part of it and make sure that this story is also heard in our hemisphere.

First of all, we think this story deserves to be told. The people appearing in the film deserve to be heard. Now why should it be us who tell this story? Because we not only care about these people, but because we are also absolutely dedicated to this project.

Everyone involved in this film is currently working for free and will probably continue to do so for some time to come. Of course, we hope to get something out of it in the end. We have to pay our bills, too. But for us, the most important thing is getting this film out into the world – and we will not stop until we have achieved this goal.

All the money raised here on Startnext, after deduction of the rewards and taxes, will be used 100 percent to cover our production costs. We will be shooting for 4 weeks in Nepal, so travel expenses alone will add up to quite an amount.

Of course, we would be very happy, if we could raise even more than the 12,500 Euros we ask for. There are always parts in the budget, where us creative people wish for more than the economical reality can provide. We have calculated this minimum amount in a way that we can honestly and with greatest confidence say that we can make a very good film, but every Euro on top will open up possibilities to make it even better.