Nepal’s largest documentary film festival, Film South Asia, is officially launched today at the Yalamaya Center in Lalitpur. This is the 14th edition. In the following four days, the festival will screen 47 documentaries and a short film from nine different nations: Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. The focus theme of this year’s edition is ‘Documentary in Anthropogenesis.’
Image source: The Record Nepal
This year’s festival will focus more on films about global warming, with awards such as Best Film, Best First Film, Award for Best Student Work, Jury Prize, and a new Best Film on the Climate Crisis award.
The film South Asia festival commences with a session hosted by Kabir Khan, a well-known Indian filmmaker acclaimed for movies such as Bajrangi Bhaijaan and Ek Tha Tiger. Being the chief guest, Kahn will talk of his exciting and adventurous journey in the field of filmmaking. Interestingly, Kahn’s first participation at the festival was in the year 1999, when the documentary The Forgotten Army was in the program.
On the first day, seven short films made by students will be presented, such as Love Like Hours, A Forgotten Summer, and P for Paparazzi, among others. The evening highlight, however, is the Bhutanese film titled Agent of Happiness, which explores Bhutan’s unorthodox approach to the Gross National Happiness Index through the eyes of its civil servants.
The Film South Asia festival is timely with its interesting programs and will be well innovative in storytelling.
