Kathmandu. The 21st edition of Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMF) is starting today. More than 15 foreign filmmakers are in Kathmandu to participate in the festival, which will begin in the afternoon at the National Auditorium.
Italian director Brando Quillici’s ‘The Tiger’s Nest’ will have its Asia premiere at the festival, which is about to start on the occasion of World Everest Day.
Devendra Khatri’s 43-minute long film ‘Nepali Fiction’ will have its world premiere on Wednesday itself. The 32-minute film ‘Kulain Taul Kuch Ni Jamadu’, directed by Sachin Rana, will be the Asia premiere of the Indian film.
This evening, the world premiere of the 98-minute long film ‘Into the Heart of the Mountain’ directed by Angri Boseman, jointly invested by the producers of Nepal and the Netherlands, will take place. Out of 60 films to be screened at the festival, 40 were produced by women.
More than 60 films from 22 countries will be screened in this edition. Kimf was organized for the first time in summer. Shekhar Kharel, a member of Kimf Foundation, the organizer of the festival, said that the festival was held in summer because the days would be longer and it would be easier for the audience.
The festival is being organized at the National Auditorium and Tourism Board till 20th of June. This year’s KIMF theme is ‘Echoes of Change’. The international competition includes documentary, narrative, short and experimental films.
As the main attraction of the festival, there will be an exhibition of rare photos and stories of the Everest climbing attempt a century ago, along with the film entitled ‘By Does Who Where There 1921, 1922, 1922, 1924’.
On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of Nepal-Korea friendship, there will be a special screening of Korean films at the Ulju Mountain Film Festival, which reflects the similarities between the two countries despite the differences in language and culture.
The jury will select the winner from among three feature stories, 11 feature documentaries, seven short stories and seven short documentaries in the international category and 13 documentaries and 16 stories in the Nepal Panorama category.
In the international category, the best feature documentary will be awarded USD 1,500, the best short documentary will receive USD 1,000, the feature story will receive USD 1,500, and the short story will receive USD 1,000.
In Nepal Panorama, the best documentary and the best narrative film will receive one lakh rupees each.
The festival will host a discussion titled ‘Mountains Matter: A Call from the Himalayas’ and a panel discussion titled ‘Women Behind the Camera’ in collaboration with the Public Affairs Department of the US Embassy.
Anthropologist Dr. in the three-member jury panel. Suresh Dhakal (Nepal), British documentary maker and photographer Dina Mufti and visual editor Regina Burtsky (Switzerland).
