BHARATPUR (CHITWAN), Jan 28: A South Asian Film Festival is going to be held in Sauraha. The festival to be held from February 1 in Ratnanagar Municipality-7 is being organized by Caravan Nepal.

President of Caravan Nepal and film director Bimal Paudel said the film festival is being organized with the aim of developing Nepali films and promoting tourism in Chitwan. 

The festival will comprise more than 100 stalls of movies, tourism and local traditional delicacies and is expected to draw 50,000 spectators, with a turnover of Rs 15 million. 

During the five-day festival, discussions will be held on initiatives to be taken by the state and private sector for the development of film and tourism, while attention of the government will be drawn for policy reforms.

Ratnanagar Municipality is providing its support to the festival that will feature films, documentaries and short films, amidst the presence of filmmakers from eight countries in the region. It is also expected to promote cultural exchange and celebrate the richness of South Asian storytelling. 

Awards will also be presented in the best film, best director and best screenplay categories. Gokarna Giri, the co-coordinator of the main festival organising committee said that the regional film festival in Sauraha is expected to revive the tourism in Sauraha and Chitwan. 

Prior to this, the Caravan Nepal had organized the Golden Film Festival in Birgunj and a festival related to Buddha's biography and philosophy in Lumbini, the birthplace of Gautam Buddha.