SATV, Kathmandu, Oct. 29: Indian veteran actress Shabana Azmi, film scholar Marco Müller, Japanese filmmaker Takayuki Nakamura and Indian film programmer Deepti Dcunha are among the international guests attending the Kathmandu Film Festival, scheduled for October 31 to November 1.
Organised by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), the festival aims to promote the city’s heritage, culture, traditions, tangible and intangible heritage, and creative industries.
The festival is expected to uncover untold stories of Kathmandu, promote its cultural and natural beauty globally, and encourage the transfer of artistic skills to younger generations while honouring senior artistes.
The guests will participate in the opening ceremony, red carpet, screenings of classic Nepali films, discussions and masterclasses alongside Nepali artists and film professionals.
Azmi will join a discussion titled ‘Films, Festivals and a Life Well Lived’ on October 31 at the Nepal Tourism Board. Dcunha will participate in a panel on nurturing creative cities through film and festivals. Nakamura will introduce Yamagata UNESCO Film City shorts, while Muller will conduct a masterclass on film aesthetics from the Global South and the international festival circuit on November 1.
The festival will screen classic Nepali films ‘Kumari’ and ‘Ke Ghar Ke Dera’, made in the 1970s and 1980s, to promote Nepali films.
International Panorama selections include Chinese film ‘Dear You’, Indian film ‘Bayaan’, Korean film ‘The King’s Warden’ and Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘The Godfather’, among others.
Under Nepal Panorama Shorts, 10 films have been selected from 75 submissions, each receiving Rs. 100,000 as an incentive award. Eleven videos have been selected from 35 entries for the Youth Video Challenge. The top three will receive Rs. 150,000, Rs. 100,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively.
The festival will also feature international feature films, fiction and short films, along with discussions on the past, present and future of Nepal’s film industry.
Film screenings will be free, but audiences must obtain tickets to reserve seats. KMC said the festival seeks to connect local artistes with international platforms, support creative industries, promote tourism and strengthen Kathmandu’s identity as a UNESCO Creative City of Film.
