SIMA: A Documentary Short on Reconstructive Surgery in Nepal
When Sima was seven years old, an unimaginable fire changed the course of her life. Over the years, her scars developed into painful contractures: tight, restrictive tissue that limited her movement and worsened as her body grew.
Her family began searching for a way to restore her mobility. But in a low-income country like Nepal, finding the reconstructive surgery she needed was not so easy.
SIMA is a 12-minute documentary following her family’s journey and the humble hero they find along the way: Dr. Shankar Man Rai, a surgeon honored by the Dalai Lama who has spent decades helping children and families like Sima’s.
SIMA sheds light on a much larger global health crisis: the profound disparities in burn care and access to reconstructive surgery faced by children in low-income countries.
Watch the Official Trailer
To learn more about how to watch the film, host a screening or start a fundraiser reach out to info@resurge.org.
Host A Screening
SIMA opens the door to conversations about who has access to surgical care, who does not, and what it takes to close that gap.
Host a screening for your workplace, school, organization, community or friends and help introduce more people to the global surgery movement.
About Dr. Shankar Man Rai
At the heart of Sima’s care is Dr. Shankar Man Rai, ReSurge International’s Country Director in Nepal. Born in a remote village, Dr. Rai trained in the United States before returning home to found Nepal’s first plastic reconstructive surgery residency program, training the next generation of local surgeons. He has helped transform more than 23,000 lives since 1999, and his work has been recognized with the Dalai Lama’s Unsung Heroes of Compassion Award.
About the Issue
Five billion people worldwide lack access to safe, affordable surgical care.
This gap is greatest in low- and middle-income countries, where a treatable injury can lead to lifelong disability. Burns are one of the clearest examples of this inequity. More than 90% of burn deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, and survivors can face disabling contractures without access to timely reconstructive care.
Since 1967, the global health nonprofit ReSurge International has worked to close this gap by expanding access to reconstructive surgery and strengthening surgical capacity in underserved communities. By training and supporting local surgeons and medical professionals, ReSurge helps build systems of care that can reach patients like Sima today and thousands more in the years to come.
96%
Of fatal fire-related burns occur in low-income countries
3x
More than malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS combined
Every 2 Seconds
Someone dies as a result of an untreated surgical condition
17 Million
People die each year due to surgically treatable conditions
People do not have access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical care
ReSurge's Impact
ReSurge Impacts over 31,000 patients a year across Africa, Asia, and Latin America
SIMA on Screen: Where to Watch
SIMA has been selected for film festivals recognizing global health and social-impact storytelling, with more screenings ahead. Check out our upcoming and past screenings
Past Film Festivals
Press
Explore the conversation around SIMA, the work of ReSurge International and Dr. Shankar Man Rai and the global need for accessible burn and reconstructive care.
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FAQs
SIMA runs 12 minutes.
Dr. Shankar Man Rai is ReSurge International’s Country Director in Nepal, operating out of the Nepal Cleft and Burn Center at Kirtipur Hospital. He is a reconstructive surgeon honored by the Dalai Lama for his decades of work expanding access to burn and cleft care in underserved communities.
SIMA has screened at the Activists Without Borders Film Festival (2025 Official Selection), the Iris Global Health Film Festival (2025 Finalist), and the LA International Art Film Fest (2025 Official Selection), with an upcoming screening at the Berlin Commercial Festival on September 9, 2026.
Fill out the request form on this page with your name, email, and preferred format (in person or virtual). ReSurge International will follow up to confirm details and share the film file or streaming link, along with a discussion guide.
Join our movement and spread the word about SIMA and ReSurge’s work. But the single biggest way you can help is by making a one-time or monthly gift — your support funds surgeries for patients like Sima and helps train more local surgeons like Dr. Rai. ReSurge estimates that training just one surgeon creates a ripple effect reaching 10,000 patients and, over a career, as many as 400,000 lives. Make a gift.
Reconstructive surgery addresses conditions from head to toe — cleft lips and palates, burn scar contractures, missing or damaged digits, traumatic injuries from road accidents, congenital anomalies, and cancer reconstruction. These can be debilitating conditions that cause chronic pain, disability, and social exclusion when left untreated. Advanced procedures including microsurgery and nerve transfer restore function for patients with complex injuries that would otherwise result in permanent disability. Scar reconstruction restores mobility for patients left with scars from burns, accidents, or surgery. Acid attacks, which disproportionately affect women and girls in low-income countries, are also treated by reconstructive surgery.
ReSurge’s train-the-trainer model creates a multiplier effect: a single ReSurge-trained surgeon will treat an average of 10,000 patients over their career. When that surgeon becomes a trainer, they are projected to impact more than 400,000 patients through the surgeons and clinical teams they mentor
ReSurge International trains local reconstructive surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, occupational therapists, and pediatricians in 16 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America. By building in-country capacity rather than relying on visiting surgical teams, ReSurge creates sustainable, long-term access to care.
Your Support Makes Our Mission Possible
We cannot make an impact without your support. Give today to create a ripple effect that changes the world through life-changing, no-cost reconstructive surgeries.