*****
Obviously Mukhiya was the center of attraction at the ceremony as she had huge role to play in both the screenings. Endless Ride, a short film directed by Shiva Puri and Arun Sharma and produced by Bijay Kumar Chaudhary, is cinematographed and scripted by Mukhiya.
Though “domestic sexual violence to women” is nothing new to hear and see in Nepali society, the approach Mukhiya has made in presenting this repeated story in her own style is worth appreciating.
On the cinematography side, this amateur cinematographer has definitely tried hard to utilize the beauty of framing but she definitely needs to grow her horizons. Endless Ride, a 30-minute movie completely misses proper lightings. In a socially provoking subject like domestic sexual violence, Mukhiya and the directors should have used different color shades and lights to make the expressions more loud and powerful.
However, on the other side, the symbolic use of music to explain different human emotions steals the show. Sex and violence are symbolically represented by either objectifying or through musical notes. This makes Endless Ride clean tight and yet successful in disseminating its core message.
It’s more the message of the film that matters than the characters in Endless Ride. On the technical sides, there are some loopholes in the editing of the film. The camera framings are left loose at places. Though the resolution is high, there are no additional efforts made to make you feel wow.
*****
As soon as Endless Ride got over, Tears of Fear, another documentary directed, scripted and cinematographed by Mukhiya was screened. While she raised an issue to ensure women’s right to live freely in Endless Ride, she highlighted the traditional animal sacrifice practices in Nepal through Fears of Tear.
The documentary is rich in research, interviews and information. The bonus is it has some of the most creatively shot scenes to show how animal sacrifice is practiced in Nepal. Mukhiya has done a superb job in bringing out some of the most sensitive issues creatively. The good thing is, she has experts backing up her information time and often, which leaves you touched. Some of the video footages of the Gadimai Festival are chosen carefully so that nothing extremely violent is shown. Most of the metaphors used in the documentary are used beautifully. The moist eyes of animals, the fear on their faces and many such expressions captured speak a lot.
The arguments that this documentary raises are equally sensitive. To sacrifice animals or not to still remains a debate, and the documentary ends with this message.
Considering a beginner, Mukhiya’s works certainly shine brightly. Nonetheless, she has a long journey to make if she wants to see herself as a frontrunner in the industry.
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