Kathmandu, December 13
No Winter Holidays, a film by Sunir Pandey and Rajan Kathet won the Best Documentary award at the 11th Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival which was held in Kathmandu from December 9 to December 12.
Premiering at Sheffield DocFest in June 2023, the film has garnered acclaim, earning the Nativa Award and a special mention in the Best International Documentary category at the DokuBaku International Film Festival. Additionally, it received an honourable mention in the International Competition at the Lima Alterna International Film Festival.
Apart from that, No Winter Holidays recently had its Asian premiere at the DMZ International Documentary Film Festival and South Asian Premier at the Dharmashala International Film Festival.
Similarly, Yatra a short documentary by LSM and Sahayog Raj Adhikari won the Best Short Documentary award while the Best International Short Documentary award at the Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival was claimed by Julen Zubiete’s film, A Mountain of Memories.
During the festival, Shubhangi Khadka was honoured with the Best Nepali Female Director award for ‘Edge of Learning.’ Additionally, Germany’s Jawahine Zentar’s On My Father’s Grave was recognised as the Best International Short Story.
The Jury Mention Award for the best plot was presented to British filmmaker Elham Ehsas for the short film Yellow, while Sourabh Kanti Dutta received the award for the best feature documentary for Fatima.
Organised by the Human Rights Film Centre, the four-day festival kicked off on December 9 at the Nepal Tourism Board and the Film Development Board.
The festival showcased a total of 54 films from 27 countries, containing a diverse range of stories, documentaries, and animations sourced through open applications worldwide. The jury panel comprised Michael Brown from the UK, Anupama Bose from India and Pashupati Rai from Nepal.
Filmmakers, audiences, experts, and human rights activists engaged in discussions on the intersection of films and human rights. Additionally, photo exhibitions were organised as side events during the discussions.
Human Rights Film Centre’s chairperson Bishnu Bahadur Khatri said the festival was a success due to the encouraging support and impressive participation of the film enthusiasts, along with human rights activists and filmmakers.
The festival introduced short films and documentaries made on the subject of human rights to film enthusiasts and filmmakers alike.
“We are confident that it has helped our filmmakers,” he said.
