In February 2009 b4apres' Director, Anthony Bonello, traveled to Kashmir with two friends in order to ski the sparsely publicised Gulmarg Ski Resort and gain a greater understanding of the "Kashmir Conflict". Once described as "the most dangerous place in the world," the Kashmir they encountered was one of warm hospitality and generousity. Throughout their meanderings, they never felt their safety threatened, even as the Kashmiri people took to the streets in their continued struggle for rights, justice and a brighter future.

One particular foray into the mountains planted the seed for returning to Kashmir to document the status quo of post-war Kashmir.

"It was recommended that we travel to Pahalgam in order to ski in the surrounding mountains. Pahalgam was at one point a jewel in the tourist crown that Kashmir boasted, but with the militant war that ignited in the early 90’s, it has since largely fallen off the map. In many regards barely on the map at all is the small, end-of-the-road village of Aru that we found ourselves in a few days later.

A hamlet of 300 people, Aru sits perched at the head of the valley, 16kms above Pahalgam, underneath towering snow-capped mountains with old growth forests clinging to them like ivy. It has a small mosque, half a dozen guesthouses, a general store and during the winter is cutoff for long periods of time when the road closes due to snow. Upon opening the guest book in the guesthouse, we learned that we were the first guests since October 2008. It was the beginning of March."

The hoteliere, Fayaz, recounted how before the war he had inherited a prospering guesthouse from his father, but since the violence it had been a constant struggle to support his brothers, wife and two children. Now in the wake of the war, he was simply waiting for the guests to return.

By returning to Kashmir in a bid to capture on film these positive experiences with the people and politics of Kashmir, the hope is that the film will encourage others to travel to this once glorious part of the world. By doing so, the project could have a tangible impact on the lives of the people who extend such generous hospitality.