'What happens when women reclaim the spaces that are designed to exclude them?' Oscar-nominated filmmaker Rintu Thomas speaks to CNN

CNN spoke with Rintu Thomas before the release of this statement. When we reached out for comment, Thomas shared this statement by the filmmakers: "Khabar Lahariya has a rich legacy as a grassroots media organization. Yet a film must take a focus to tell a story of one aspect or another of the whole picture. We respect that this may not be the film that they would have made about themselves but we stand by this portrayal."

The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

Rintu Thomas: In 2016 when we met our protagonists, we were drawn to the coming together of two unique forces: on one hand are the rural Dalit women who are chipping away at one of the cruelest systemic discriminations in the world that are created to silence them, and on the other hand is digital technology that by its very nature is unfettered.

We were most interested in exploring what happens when women reclaim the spaces that are designed to exclude them. What does the world that they reimagine look like?

The main characters in the film -- Meera, Suneeta and Shyamkali -- are three women with very different personalities and personal histories. They are united in their vision for a more just world through their journalism, but they approach it with their own unique lens, voice -- and chutzpah!

Moreover, in our popular culture, we are not used to seeing Dalit women (whose caste is designated as "untouchable") in positions of power, as leaders, colleagues, risk-takers and bosses. In taking an intimate, observational approach to our process of filming, we knew we had the opportunity to locate the story in this rare, dynamic space that the world has not experienced so far.

RT: I'd say my biggest learning has been to believe. So many of us want to see social change but are we invested in the mechanics of making that change?

After a whole day's travel to reach a media dark village to report on the story of a broken hand pump that is the only source of drinking water to the entire village, it is quite possible that with this story, the Khabar Lahariya reporter is not able to move the needle with the administration.

For me, the real game-changer is that she'll make the same journey next week to follow up on the story, to make visible an issue that has no news-value to other mainstream media outlets, to get a response from the administration. And she does this every single day of her work life -- whether she sees an immediate impact or not.

That's what investing in change looks and feels like: the belief that your voice matters, your action matters.

RT: A phrase that I hear a lot from people who watch the film is: "I'm inspired" and I think that's very powerful. To me, it means that the journey of the film actually begins after the credits roll; in the thoughts and actions of the viewer.

I think when people meet Meera, Suneeta and Shyamkali, they see them as hope and courage personified. In the deeply fractured world that we all find ourselves in, their language of resilience is resonating in a unique way.

The film has played in over 120 international festivals and won 30 awards. It is extremely meaningful for Sushmit and I that a very particular story from a specific part of the world makes so many connections with audiences across the world -- that they watch the film and make it their own.

Girls above 6th grade in Afghanistan have been unable to return to school for about six months now. On Wednesday, the Taliban reneged on its promise that schools would be open for all students, including girls, after the March 21 Afghan new year.

Written by Adie Vanessa Offiong

The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo is a protest movement started in 1977 by Argentinian women whose children were among approximately 30,000 people who were disappeared during the country's so-called "Dirty War".

On April 30 1977, the women gathered for the first time at the Plaza de Mayo in Buenos Aires to protest the dictatorship of then President Jorge Rafael Videla (1976 to 1981), under whose leadership, it was widely reported, there were systemic disappearances and murders of Argentinians.

Azucena Villaflor, a former telephone operator and shopkeeper whose son was kidnapped urged other mothers to meet at Plaza de Mayo and has been credited for starting the peaceful resistance that became the movement.

At first the women took turns sitting in groups of twos or threes on the Plaza's benches. When soldiers began urging them to move on, they began to walk.

Their now famous white scarves symbolized nappies once used on their lost children but were also a means of identification. to help members recognize one another. Now, they are symbols of courage and the women's battle for justice.

In December 1977, Villaflor and 11 members and friends of the group were kidnapped and never seen again.

Forty-five years later, there have been over 2,000 marches and the Mothers still hold one every Thursday in Buenos Aires at 3:30 pm local time.