KATHMANDU, April 24: Nepal has emerged as a center for South Asia in recent years as the governments elsewhere in the region are increasingly becoming intolerant toward public debate and criticisms and are even resorting to stifle freedom of expression.

This is stated by filmmakers and freedom of expression activists gathered from various South Asian countries in Nepal to take part in the 25th edition of Film South Asia. They also expressed happiness to get the opportunity to attend the major events like Film Southasia 2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.

Director of Film Southasia 2022 Meetu Verma said Nepal is a forum where films banned in other countries are allowed to screen. “There are no other places in South Asia where all types of films are allowed to screen. It is not within the capacity of all people to go to other countries to screen their films. This has made Nepal an important destination for this,” Verma said in a recent interview.  

Addressing an inaugural function of a four-day South Asia Film Festival held in Lalitpur on Thursday, Minister for Communications and Information Technology Gyanendra Bahadur Karki said Nepal government is committed to safeguard freedom of expression. “Nepal is open. It will always remain open,” he said.

Senior journalist Kanak Mani Dixit argued that Kathmandu is a capital city not just of Nepal but of entire South Asia. While stating that Nepal should always remain an open society, Dixit said that all the documentaries screened in the Film Festival depict pictures of the states in South Asia.

The 25th edition of Film Southasia Festival, which started on Thursday, will end today. A discussion on caste, class and cinema is scheduled at 5:30 pm today. This will be followed by a screening of the film Casteless Collective at YalaMaya Kendra.

Documentary filmmakers from countries in South Asia have gathered in Patan for the purpose. Film South Asia documentaries can also be watched online and films will be available as per the schedule and remain live till the end of the festival, according to the organizer.

A total of 71 films, selected from more than 3, 000 submissions from South Asia and overseas, are part of the Film South Asia Festival.