KATHMANDU: The 14th edition of Film South Asia, renowned as the premier South Asian documentary festival, will kick off today (Thursday).
A total of 47 documentaries and short films will be showcased during the four-day festival at the Yalamaya Center in Lalitpur.
The festival will feature films from nine countries, including Nepal, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and this year’s theme is ‘Documentary in Anthropogenesis’.
Competing for awards such as Best Film, Jury Award, Best Student Film, Best Debut Film, and the newly introduced Best Film in the Climate Crisis Award, the festival promises to be a vibrant celebration of documentary filmmaking.
The festival will open at 9 am on Thursday, with a directing workshop led by renowned Indian director Kabir Khan, who is also the chief guest.
Known for his acclaimed films such as Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Chandu Champion, and Ek Tha Tiger, Khan will share his insights and experience in filmmaking during the workshop.
Khan first participated in the festival in 1999, when his documentary The Forgotten Army was screened. Since then, he has visited Nepal several times for the event.
On the first day, seven student-made short films will be screened across three halls at Yalamaya.
These include Love Like Hours, A Forgotten Summer, Hello Guys, Portrait of Food, Whispers by the River Shore, Remnant, and P for Paparazzi.
At 4:30 pm, the festival will officially open with the Bhutanese film Agent of Happiness.
The film explores Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index through the experiences of two government officials.
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