Sixteenth Nepal Indigenous Peoples Film Festival Awards Distributed

Khotang. Nepal Indigenous Peoples Film Federation Federal Council has distributed awards in 11 categories related to indigenous peoples in the field of artistry, including actors, directors, and cinematographers. The awards were distributed on Tuesday at the closing ceremony of the three-day 'Sixth Nepal Indigenous Peoples Film Festival-2083', organized by the Film Federation in collaboration with the Film Development Board and the National Foundation for Indigenous Nationalities Development. Among the films screened at the festival, the Public Choice Award was given to the Limbu film 'Reet', the Best Film Award to the Gurung film 'Ngolsyo Ramrani', the Best Script Lakhan Award to the writer of the Gurung film 'Ngolsyo Ramrani' Vivek Gurung, the Best Director Award to the director of the Limbu film 'Reet' Dinesh Lingden, the Best Actor Award to the actor of the Magar film 'Dilsara' Kalyan Rana Magar, and the Best Actress Award to the actress of the Newari film 'Swayangu' Bhintuna Shrestha. The Best Cinematography Award was given to the Tamang film 'Hyang Tamang' cinematographer Surya Lama, the Jury Award to the Rajbanshi documentary 'Viratnagar ke Prachin Rajvanshi', the Encouragement Award to the Tamang short film 'Dukhla Gyam', the Best Short Film Award to the Magar short film 'Lahureni', and the Best Documentary Award 2083 to the Magar documentary 'Aagre', informed Sagar Kerung, director of the Film Festival Organizing Committee. The chief guest at the program, Ram Maden, acting chief of the National Foundation for Indigenous Nationalities Development, honored the best actors and filmmakers, films, short films, and documentaries. The festival, which began on Jestha 17 in the auditorium of the Film Development Board in Chabahil, Kathmandu, concluded on Tuesday evening. Along with film screenings, the festival featured discussions, cultural tableau performances, and food stalls of various ethnic groups. The festival screened narrative films, short films, documentaries, and AI-generated documentaries from Limbu, Newari, Gurung, Tamang, Magar, Bhujel, Majhi, and Rajbanshi communities. The organizers stated that the festival has laid an important foundation for new dialogue, collaboration, and alternative cinematic discourse among indigenous filmmakers, researchers, and cultural activists. Director Kerung informed that the festival speaks of the language, history, land, ancestral memory, and the living soul of the entire indigenous community. 'Indigenous films should be viewed not just as art or entertainment, but as connected to civilization, existence, and cultural sovereignty. The festival has established Nepal as a strong center for world indigenous cinema,' he said. 'Currently, world human civilization stands at a critical juncture of knowledge crisis. The festival is not just a formal program of film screening, but also an international cinematic movement for cultural justice, representation, linguistic revival, resistance against knowledge-colonialism, and freedom.' It is reported that more than one and a half thousand films, short films, and documentaries related to indigenous peoples have been produced and screened in Nepal. The organizers, Nepal Indigenous Peoples Film Federation, claim that indigenous filmmakers here have developed a distinct indigenous cinematic aesthetic by focusing on mother tongue, land relations, ancestral worlds, folk knowledge, cultural relevance, ritual structures, and community voices. At the festival closing ceremony, Arun Kumar Pradhan, Chairman of the Nepal Film Directors' Society, Amrit Sunuwar, Vice-Chairman of the Nepal Indigenous Peoples Film Federation Federal Council, and Samir Balami, Chairman of the Film Journalists Association Nepal, expressed their views on the current status and importance of films of indigenous communities in Nepal. Dabbu Chhetri, film director, journalist, and director of the Nepal Africa International Film Festival, shed light on the status of national and international film festivals in Nepal.