KATHMANDU, Dec 3: Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF), an annual film festival, is all set to take place from Friday to Tuesday at Rastriya Sabha Griha (City Hall) and Nepal Tourism Board, Kathmandu. The 16th edition of the festival seeks to explore the role of women in society as well as engage them - both in filmmaking and film appreciation under the festival tagline ‘’Women Move Mountains’.
Chairperson of the film festival, Basanta Thapa stated that the festival will showcase various issues faced by the women in our society. This year’s line-up of films will include documentaries, fiction, shorts, experimental films and animation.
A total of 14 films from 31 countries will compete in the international level competition. The winner of the competition will bag $1500. Likewise, the first and second runner-up will get $1000 and $500 respectively. The top three prizes are sponsored by Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Deep Laxmi Foundation, and Thamserku Trekking, respectively.
The 19 th edition of Kimff all set to begin on December 9
Apart from the international competition, the festival also features a competition named ‘Nepal Panorama’ where 20 films will participate for the title. In this category, the best documentary will win a cash prize of Rs 75,000. The prize money will be contributed by the Film Development Board, Nepal. Mila Productions will sponsor a cash prize of Rs 100,000 for the ‘Tsekye Sherpa Award for Best Fiction’.
The KIMFF 2018 jury includes Artistic Director of Kendal Mountain Festival, UK, Claire Jane Carter, Australian filmmaker Jolyon Hoff and Nepali filmmaker Tsering Rhitar Sherpa. The jury will decide the top three films in the international competition (14 shortlisted) and the top documentary film and fiction film in the Nepal Panorama selection (20 films shortlisted).
This year KIMFF and Nepali Travelers will present ‘Travel is an Attitude’ a short film competition for Nepali filmmakers below the age of 35.
Besides showcasing the films, the film festival has also planned a discussion and talk program. Film producers, artists, mountaineers, and guests will participate in an interaction program on the topics —‘Mountains Matter: A Call from the Himalayas’, ‘Breaking Code Red: A conversation on Menstruation and How to See It’ and ‘Breaking Barriers: Prospective on Women and Adventure.’
According to the organizers, KIMFF aims to provide a platform for the participants to showcase their talent along with promoting their movie in international level and to be the bridge for exchanging ideas and experiences.
