The 19 th edition of Kimff all set to begin on December 9

KATHMANDU

The 19 th edition of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) is all set to begin on December 9. Organized by the Himal Association, Kimff 2021 is showcasing more than 60 films from 28 countries which will be screened in person at Film Development Board’s auditorium, Chabahil, and online till December 13.

Kimff organized a press meet on Sunday at Nepal Tourism Board to announce the date of the film festival and launched Kimff’s poster made by Shreya Amatya.

Kimff 2021 will screen timely, engaging, and exciting films about mountain communities, sports, the environment, cultures, and societies from around the globe. Moreover, Kimff 2021 will celebrate the complexity and diversity of mountain life with a special focus on stories that reflect the realities of mountain communities in sustaining and protecting their natural environment, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

This year the festival tagline is ‘Climate Karma’. Moreover, Kimff and the European Union will present ‘Green Growth-Green Recovery’ short film competition for Nepali filmmakers; Kimff and Save the Children will present a TikTok Challenge on a call to action for the environment while Kimff’s Nepal Panorama will once again showcase exciting films by local talent.

The Kimff 2021 jury includes journalist and climber Mario Casella from Switzerland, journalist and filmmaker Caroline Fink from Switzerland, and Nepali theatre artist and director Anup Baral. The jury will decide the top three films in the international competition (40 films shortlisted) and the top documentary film and fiction film in the Nepal Panorama selection (13 films shortlisted).

The top three prizes are Rs 200,000, Rs 150,000, and Rs 100,000 for the international competition sponsored by Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), Himalaya International Mountain Film of China (HIMF) Fredi-Ursula Wohlwend, respectively. In Nepal Panorama, the Nepal Film Development Board will sponsor a cash prize of Rs 75,000 for Best Documentary, and Mila Productions will sponsor a cash prize of Rs 100,000 for the Tsekye Sherpa Award for Best Fiction Award. Likewise, the Best Mountain Film Award at Kimff (the US $ 1000) is sponsored by ICIMOD.

This year’s festival highlights include a Master Class by US-based photographer Cira Crowell, a book launch of ‘Nepalma Mero Khoj Yatra’ (the Nepali translation of Swiss geologist Toni Hagen’s Building Bridges to the Third World), special screenings of “Sustainable Summits –Climate solutions from the top of the world” and “Everest- By those Who Were There- 1921, 1922, 1924”.