From collecting tickets and watching theatre entrances to helping the national and international delegates in and around the venue, Sujan Kunwar did it all.[break]
He was not only one of the most active in the volunteer group but also was a favorite with the guests.
An enthusiastic short filmmaker himself, Sujan’s entry to KIMFF is an interesting tale. He had submitted his film to KIMFF last year which unfortunately was not accepted in the final selections.
Sujan was, however, far from losing hope. “I had to be a part of the action anyhow,” he shares and “I decided I would volunteer.”
He knew that volunteering would reap exciting benefits, such as being among the first audiences to see world premieres of films and at the same time hone his filmmaking skills.
Like Sujan, each year the festival is augmented with another keen and willing band of enthusiasts who put in immense time and effort in bringing together the fest, and like Basanta Thapa, the chair of KIMFF, says “the fest is impossible without them.”
Uddhav Parajuli, a student of photography, spent “excellent time” at KIMFF. He learnt about the festival through his teacher and was more than happy to be selected as a volunteer.
He claims to have learnt a lot at the festival and is already waiting for next year’s fest. Asked what his biggest achievement was while he volunteered at the fest, he replies, “This is like a career step for me. I met a lot of talented people and shared my views with and learnt from them.”
Nodding his head at Uddhav was Yonzen Dhurba who aims at becoming a celebrated writer someday.
What excited him to volunteer at KIMFF was the fact that there were a large number of documentaries to be screened. Yonzen believes documentaries give an insight into people’s lives and cultures, and this knowledge he wants to further use in his stories.
“I want to write stories about people and relationships. So KIMFF was like a research field for me. I saw films from all across the world, so this has been a learning experience,” he says.
The festival held talk programs and discussions on various topics with speakers from various international film festivals. These volunteers, while managing these talk events, also lent their ears to what the speakers had to say.
“You have to make the most out of it as this is a rare opportunity because such events aren’t very common,” was the unanimous comment of all the volunteers.
Another aspect of the fest these young volunteers consider their accomplishment is the fact that they have made good friends.
“Making friends wasn’t my priority but when you work as a group all day for several days, I guess you end up making friends,” shares Yonzon.
The group not only worked together for the five days of the festival, they also attended a training camp before the actual fest began.
Jeebesh Rayamajhi, their instructor, claims that this young group was trained for a whole week.
“The publicity campaign was also handed over to the volunteers,” he shares.
Jeebesh not only gave them instructions in the classroom but also took them out on the streets.
“They were given assignments, like explaining to foreigners about the fest and inviting them to it.” He believes such training not only improves their communication skills but also increases their confidence.
“A lot of the attendees at KIMFF are foreigners, and my training style has proven more than helpful,” he smiles.
An English teacher by profession, this is not Jeebesh’s first involvement at KIMFF. He has been associated with the festival for many years. Asked if it was difficult assigning and managing his group, Jeebesh shares that being a teacher, it was not a “tough task.”
His youngest volunteer was a grade 10 student while he also had a Ph.D. candidate in the group. KIMFF assembles its volunteer core group through an online application form where anyone interested is encouraged to apply. Jeebesh observes it is mostly wannabe filmmakers who apply.
Meet Prapti Adhikary. She wants to become a documentary filmmaker.
“I knew KIMFF was going to be the prefect platform for me,” she smiles, adding, “I saw so many documentaries and learnt to do many things.” From camera techniques to narrative styles, Prapti believes these five days will benefit her in “polishing her skills.”
Bijaya Dahal seconds Prapti as she shares that for her it was like taking classes at an international film school, and that too for free.
“The real benefits of volunteering aren’t just films, it’s the experience,” she concludes.
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