FILM Southasia Documentary Festival ends with Awards

25 November, 2024, Lalitpur

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Film Southasia Festival of Documentaries wrapped up on Sunday evening.

The Ram Bahadur Trophy for the Best film was awarded to 6-A AKASH GANGA (India) directed by Nirmal Chander Dhandriyal. The three-member jury noted: “A mesmerising tribute to the enigmatic Hindustani classical musician Annapurna Devi, whose genius shaped generations yet whose life remains shrouded in mystery. Directed with sensitivity and reverence by Nirmal Chander Dhandriyal, the film masterfully combines archival footage, intimate interviews, and rare performances to peel back the layers of a recluse who became a legend.”

The Jury Award was split between two films Devi (Nepal) by Subina Shrestha and Chardi Kala – An Ode to Resilience (India) by Prateek Shekhar with the jury noting that “Two exceptional films, each addressing the profound undercurrents of conflict in South Asia, are being awarded the Jury Prize jointly, standing together as equal bearers of the region’s most urgent stories.”

Additionally, this year, Film Southasia honoured filmmaker, Anand Patwardhan, with the Documentary Stalwart Award to honor his decades long work on his films focused on social justice, humanity and memory.

The Best Student Film Award went to Hello Guyzz! by Samiksha Mathur. The Tareque Masud Best Debut Film Award was awarded to Siege in the Air by Muntaha Amin.

The ICIMOD Best Film on Anthropocene & the Climate Emergency Award went to A Flaming Forest (India) by Salman Javeed, Vivek Singh Sangwan and Satya Ambasta. The award was handed over by Mr. Shekhar Ghimire, Director of Administration, Operations and Finances at ICIMOD.

This year’s edition of the biennial Southasian film festival featured 47 films from 9 countries over 4 days. With the theme, Documentary in Anthropocene, this year’s festival focused closely on the ongoing climate emergency in Southasia along with a host of documentaries that touched on the nuances of Southasian lives across boundaries.

The festival was also host to workshops and discussions, kicking off with a directing workshop/discussion with the festival’s chief guest, the auteur director, Kabir Khan. Kathaharu and the WOW festival also conducted masterclasses with Jane Mote, The Whickers, UK and film editor Shweta Venkat in collaboration with Film Southasia. Discussions on themes including “Understanding the Anthropocene”, “The Evolution of Documentary in Nepal” and “The Sudden Runaway Success of Nepali Cinema” were also organized during the festival.

Pictured: (Left to Right) Farjad Nabi, Kiran Krishna Shrestha, Anitha Pottumkulam

The jury, consisting of Farjad Nabi, Lahore, Kiran Krishna Shrestha, Kathmandu, and Anitha Pottumkulam, Chennai, in their closing remarks, highlighted the importance and urgency of the theme related to human-induced deterioration of the environment, “This year’s theme—Anthropocene—is not just timely but essential. It’s a stark reminder that what we share cannot be restrained by borders.”