KIMFF 2015 to start with screening of ‘Bhagyale Bachekaharu’
Kathmandu / December 4: Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) is set to start in a week’s time on December 10. This year, film lovers will be able to catch 80 films from 25 different countries at Kumari Hall in Kamal Pokhari.
The 13th edition of the mountain film festival will kick off with the screening of Ganesh Pandey’s documentary ‘Bhagyale Bachekaharu (Nepal Earthquake: Heroes, Survivors and Miracles).’
In the Nepal Panorama category, three films will compete in the Fiction section while five documentaries will compete for the Best Documentary award. Likewise, 14 films are lined up for the International Competition category.
The jury team of British journalist Ed Douglas, Korean film scholar Professor Eun Young Kim, Indian film editor Namrata Rao and Indian film critic Premendra Nath Mazumdar will select the best films from KIMFF 2015. Rs 50,000 each will be awarded to the best film and the best documentary in the Nepal Panorama section. The best three films from the International Competition category will be awarded USD 1,500, USD 1,000 and USD 500 respectively. The best film on mountain development in the South Asian region will receive a cash prize of USD 1,000.
KIMFF 2015 will come to a close on December 14. The festival will end with the screening of ‘Tiger for Breakfast’ which is based on the life of Boris Lissanevitch, a Russian ballet dancer and hotelier who established the first international standard hotel in Nepal. The 1924 documentary ‘The Epic of Everest’ directed by Captain John Noel will have a special screening on the last day, too.
Top 10 films from KIMFF’s Seismic Shift, a short film competition on the earthquake, will also be showcased. The films are ’12’ by Miles Rai, ‘After the Quake’ by Aayush Niroula, ‘Bhoto Jatra and Earthquake’ by Rokesh Chandra Prajapati, ‘Dhartiputra’ by Aditya Khadka, ‘Effort’ by Ishwor Koirala, ‘Journey to Home’ by Saral Gurung, ‘Radio Melamchi 107.2’ by Rajeela Shrestha, ‘Rising from Epicenter’ by Pradip Pokhrel, ‘Sindhupalchok Vukampa/ Sindhupalchok Earthquake’ by Amesh Bhandari, and ‘U ayo ayo’ (The experience) by Shyam Karki. The best three films will receive cash prizes of Rs 80,000, Rs 60,000, and Rs 40,000 respectively.
Filmmakers Min Bham and Tsering Rhitar Sherpa, film editor Namrata Rao and film critic Premendra Nath Mazumdar will discuss on the topic ‘Trends in South Asian Independent cinema’ during the festival.
Chairperson of the KIMFF Organizing Committee Basanta Thapa stated that KIMFF 2015 is being organized despite all the difficulties. “We are continuing with the festival because we believe that it is also a part of the social campaign. KIMFF 2015 will be centered on the earthquake and the rehabilitation work,” he said.
(Source: Myrepublica)