From Fields to Flight

Ipshita Bhattacharyya / Short Documentary / India, USA / Hindi / 11:10 / 2025

In a world ruled by patriarchy, one girl from India’s hinterlands finds the courage to challenge gender norms to achieve her dream of becoming a drone pilot.

In rural Uttar Pradesh, where caste and patriarchy often dictate a girl’s future, Babita’s life seemed destined for early marriage and domestic duty. Born into a Dalit family and forced to shoulder responsibilities after her mother’s death, she gave up dreams of college to care for her home. A turning point came when with the support of a women’s self help group, she began training to be a drone pilot to help with farming. As her district’s first certified female drone pilot, Babita transforms skepticism into pride, inspiring young women to delay early marriage and pursue financial independence.

Cast & Crew:

  • Director: Ipshita Bhattacharyya
  • Producers: Koval Bhatia, Veda Shastri
  • Executive Producers:  Gabriel Diamond, Sky Dylan-Robbins, Phil Collis
  • DOP: Omkar Phatak 
  • 1st AC: Hukum Raj
  • Location Sound: Pravin
  • Editor: Niladri Bhattacharji
  • Sound Design: Darshan Shah
  • Song: Mann Ke Manjeeré by Shubha Mudgal, courtesy Breakthrough

Director’s Bio

Ipshita is an independent filmmaker with a nature-inspired, intuitive cinematic voice rooted in lived experiences. Since 2005, she has directed and produced broadcast documentaries across diverse landscapes. In 2017, she founded Reel Nomads, a filmmaking collective telling compassionate, purpose-driven stories. Her work explores climate change, culture, and conservation, often in grassroots India. Collaborating with global broadcasters and social organisations, she creates films on environment, gender, and human rights, capturing deep community bonds and inspiring change, one powerful story at a time.