Documentary in Nepal | Documentary films come of age

 In June, the documentary "No Winter Holidays," created by Rajan Kathet and Sunir Pandey, debuted at the Sheffield DocFest, a major documentary festival in Britain. This film received support from South Korea’s DMZ Docs Industry Project Fund and the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum. Meanwhile, in the realm of feature films, "The Red Suitcase" by Fidel Devkota was nominated for its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival, and "A Road to a Village" by Nabin Subba made it to the Toronto International Film Festival.

Documentary in Nepal

Nepali films and filmmakers have been making strides globally, securing spots in international labs, forums, and events. Although documentary films have been performing well, the key challenge is to establish and maintain a market for non-fictional films. This concern was the focal point of a recent brainstorming session involving film festival organizers, governmental bodies, international agencies, and independent filmmakers. The discussion delved into the lack of resources and explored avenues for governmental and private institutions to promote the film industry.

During the two-hour dialogue at the British Council, besides highlighting challenges, viable solutions were identified to steer the Nepali documentary market toward new directions. Despite Nepal’s strong international reputation, there’s a growing need for local support from both private and government sectors to foster a robust market for documentary films within the country. Although international platforms offer accessible funding opportunities, the competition is intense, and success often depends on aligning with the interests of an audience that might be unfamiliar with the nuances of Nepali culture.

While international funding has been crucial for Nepali documentary makers, there’s a growing call for local support. Entities like the Kathmandu Metropolitan City expressing interest in the UNESCO Creative Cities Network with a focus on film signifies a potential government commitment, possibly leading to grants for film production. Additionally, various agencies, such as the Nepal Tourism Board, have seen the potential of films in boosting tourism, as seen in the case of "14 Peaks: Nothing is Impossible" on Netflix.

Broadcast media, largely untapped for documentaries, has the potential to play a significant role. Television networks and their digital subsidiaries, both locally and internationally, actively commission documentaries, as evidenced by pieces like Al Jazeera Witness’s "What’s Behind Caste Violence in Nepal?" and BBC World Service’s "Nepal: The Battle for Souls."

Source : https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/comment/documentary-films-come-of-age