Tiger Women

Feature Documentary | Co-Production | Adult | Early Development

The woman on the left and her husband, on the far right, survived a harrowing tiger attack while fishing from their boat in the Sundarban. Her husband fought to save her, aided, in their telling, by Bonobibi, the revered guardian of the forest. Both lived, sparing her the fate of becoming a “tiger widow,” but in the battle she lost part of her skull. Her sari conceals the injury. Their story is one of survival and of the dangers woven into everyday life in the Sundarban. For the islands’ communities, fishing and honey collection provide a livelihood, but venturing into the waters and forests means living with the ever-present threat of a tiger attack

Photo Credit - Dr. Ratna Ghosh

Follow the stories of the courageous widows of the Sundarban whose husbands were killed by tigers as they fight for their rights, livelihood, and children.

Initiated by researchers at McGill University and the University of Calcutta, TIGER WOMEN is a documentary feature that follows the unique stories of the courageous women continuing their lives after tigers have taken their husbands. In the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest located in India and Bangladesh – a region greatly affected by climate change – villagers and tigers hunt in the same areas. By conservative estimates, over 50 men a year are killed by tigers and the wives they leave behind not only grieve their loss, but also face ostracization by their communities, families, and government leaving them with few financial resources and options. With references to the revered deity Bonobibi or Bonodevi, the protectress of the forests, the documentary weaves individual current stories with ancient ones to bring to light the perseverance, fortitude, and resilience of widows as they rebuild their lives.

[We are currently looking for development funds, broadcaster interest, and an Indian co-producer]