KATHMANDU: Nepali poet and artist Jeevan Khatri, along with fellow poets Sunil Dipta Rai and Dilip Bantawa, was honored at the closing ceremony of the 26th Jeonju International Film Festival in South Korea.
The documentary film Machine Country, featuring the three Nepali poets in lead roles, was awarded Best Film and selected as the special closing show, a distinction regarded as a major honor at the festival.
Khatri and the entire production team—including producer and director Kim Young-ok, assistant director Kim Sun-hae, Nepali language translators Lee Gi-ju Muna and Mohan Karki—were celebrated with a red-carpet tribute at the event.
Recognized as one of South Korea’s top three international film festivals, the Jeonju International Film Festival received 2,497 submissions globally, screening 224 films from 57 countries, including 148 feature films and 76 short films. Only two films were awarded the honor of opening and closing the 10-day festival.
The opening film, Continental by Radu Jude, and the poetic documentary In the Land of Machines (also known as Machine Country) were named the standout films of the edition.
Speaking on the occasion, festival chair Min Woo-beom said this year’s edition marked a record-breaking success. Poet Jeevan Khatri expressed that the recognition has elevated Nepal’s cultural presence on the international stage.
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