Anna Ewert from the United Kingdom, Gili Meisler from Israel, Michael Dillon from Australia, Lars Nilssen from Norway, Tofik Shakhberdiev from Russia, Birgitte Glavnd Sperber from Denmark and Mohan Mainali from Nepal; all the filmmakers jointly inaugurated the festival at Rastriya Sabhagriha, exhibition road.
After the welcome speech by the festival director Ramyata Limbu, the statement from Amar Giri, president of Film Development Board, received a round of applause when he announced, “After a long round of discussion we decided that films participating in festivals should not be subjected to censorship.”
The government’s decision to lift censor was appreciated by David Durkan and Terry Gifford, two of the members from international jury team for the festival.
The five-day festival is showcasing 62 films from 35 countries from around the world. The festival concludes December 13.
This year, the festival will be screening six Nepali films in the Nepal Panorama category and one in the International category. The best film in the Nepal Panorama category will receive a cash prize of Rs 25,000.
According to Viplob Pratik, poet, festival coordinator and also one of the jury in the film selection committee, the selected Nepali films are socially relevant. “We, as jury members, felt that the chosen films were a must watch for Nepali audience.”
Birami Sahar (Sick City) by director Murray Kerr was the first Nepali film in the Panorama category to be screened at the event.
The film explores the other side of Kathmandu through a young hustler. He likes to term his film as a guerilla film – a film on the run. Made with a shoestring budget, he refrains from calling his work a documentary, and explains it as a reflection of human struggles.
“Audiences can view the two sides of Kathmandu in the film,” said Kerr. “One is the glossy city of high-rise buildings, and the other is a crumbling one with crime.”
Listed below are the six other Nepali entries in the festival, to be screened in the following days:
Kuncha
(Migrating to Himalaya)
Directors: Jajan Ghimire and Rajendra Kunwar
Time: 34 min 8 sec
Screening date:
December 10 at 11 am
The best film in the Nonfiction category of the Buds Film Fiesta 2010, “Kuncha” gives audience a glimpse of the livelihood of the Shauka people who reside in Darchula.
Struggle Within
Director: Manoj Pandey
Time: 24 min
Screening date:
December 11 at 11am
For the director of the film, “Struggle Within” is more than a documentary; it’s a part of the movement for giving justice and equality to LGBT’s (Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual and Transgender).
“My interest in this issue was fueled by the discrimination against LGBTs I encountered in our society,” says Pandey. The documentary has already been screened for international audiences abroad and has garnered appreciation for the effort.
Darka Aansuharu (Tears of Fear)
Director: Shabnam Mukhiya
Time: 31 min 20 sec
Screening date:
December 11 at11 am
Based on the theme of animal sacrifice, Mukhiya shoots the Gadhimai Mela of animal sacrifices as rituals in her film. A graduate in filmmaking, she is one of the few female cinematographers in Nepal. The film is an outcome of a one year research on animal sacrifices.
“Since the film deals with an issue that encompasses religion and culture, I was asked to drop my plans of making the film. I’m happy I didn’t,” she says.
Puneko Pant (Pune’s Trousers)
Director: Mohan Mainali
Time: 34 min
Screening date:
December 11 at 12:30 pm
Filmed over a period of seven years, “Puneko Pant” is a tale of post-conflict Nepal.
“It shows how the 10-year conflict in Nepal devastated families in Nepal. It’s the story of Pune who is left to take care of his family after losing his father to the war,” shares Mainali, the director.
Pooja
Director: Deepak Rauniyar
Time: 57 min 45 sec
Screening date:
December 12 at 11am
Rauniyar’s second film is embedded with a social message and more. Divided into three chapters, it tells the story of a girl named Pooja.
“The film aims to lift the veil of female abuse which is rampant in our society,” says the director. He adds that the film questions the society about its ideals. Is the real culprit, when a woman dies at childbirth, the society, or not?
Saving Dolma
Director: Kesang Tseten
Time: 55 min
Screening date:
December 12 and 13 at 3:30 and 5 pm
Acclaimed director Kesang Tseten brings another heart-touching documentary with “Saving Dolma.” Tseten explains his film as exploring the vulnerable conditions of ill-educated and ill-prepared women from a poor country trying to make a living in the Gulf States. It follows the thread of Dolma, a Nepali housemaid sentenced to death for killing a Filipino co-domestic in Kuwait. It is being screened in the International competition category.
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