In 2005 after graduating high school, Maggie Doyne embarked on a gap year, where she met Tope Malla, a now grown Nepalese orphan, caring for orphaned children.

United in purpose, Maggie and Tope pooled resources to establish a children’s home, women’s empowerment program, and school in Nepal. Years later, their relentless efforts led to being honored as a 2015 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR. Just days after the ceremony, Maggie, by then guardian to over fifty Nepalese children, faced the unthinkable upon returning to Nepal, plunging the family into disbelief and despair.

After a chance encounter amidst her grief, Maggie allows a filmmaker into her life to document herself, her family, and soon enough, their falling in love. Between the Mountain and the Sky explores resilience, love’s impact in loss, and a family’s enduring strength to find and rekindle hope in the darkest times.

Since then, Doyne has been featured in Forbes and The New York Times among many other publications. Alongside a team of caregivers, teachers, and community members, she has helped raise nearly 90 children and educate more than 800 students.

Director: Jeremy Power Regimbal (US/Nepal 2024) 94 min.