Hannah Congdon (LEH 2007-14)

Wednesday 16 September saw the test screening for ‘Women Behind the Wheel’, the documentary I’ve been working on for the past three years with my friend and co-director Cat Haigh. The event took place at Somerset House with around 30 guests, and it was such a special (if nerve-wracking!) feeling to share the film with an audience for the first time. Without the LEH Emerging Talent Award we couldn’t have got to this stage, and we’re so grateful for their support!
 
The film follows our journey as we take on the gruelling 3000km drive along the Pamir Highway, the second highest international road on Earth. The route crosses through Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. We use the drive to speak to as many women as we could en route, learning what life is like for women living in a society that feels miles away from our own.  
 
The documentary is filled with empowering stories of women igniting micro-revolutions within their communities; whether it’s Sabina, who’s paving the way for women’s Taekwondo in Tajikistan, or Jamilya, who helps women experiencing domestic violence so that they don’t have to go through the same abuse that she did.
 
We now have a rough cut of the film, lasting one and half hours, and indie distributors Dartmouth Films will be distributing the film in the UK once it’s completed. It’s been a long ride to get the film to this point, and we’ve still got a way to go. The test screening was an opportunity to get an audience’s feedback on the film, so we can go back to the edit with their thoughts and ideas in mind. We’ve now got a few more months focusing on fine-tuning the story, as well as music and sound design to think about. It’s a bit of a mammoth task, but it’s been such a joy to work on and we’ve both learnt so much in the process – not least how generous people are with their time and support!
 
If you’re interested in being involved in the film in any way please get in touch with us at catandhan@yahoo.com or head to our website for more info and links to our social media: catandhan.wixsite.com/womenbehindthewheel
 
Thank you again to LEH for helping us get this far. Hopefully we’ll have more exciting updates about the film’s release fairly soon!