LABOURING LIVES

BARE TREES IN THE MIST

(15 mins/ Nepali with English subtitles/ 2019/ Nepal) 

by Rajan Kathet

Available from: 28^th November, 5:00 PM

Until: 3 December, 10:00 AM

About the Film: A young mother (Kaali) and her young son hear that a villager who returned home from abroad has brought them gifts. At first, Kaali rejects this possibility outright. But a combination of poverty, desperation and hope eventually makes her walk miles to greet him. At the onset of winter with no contact from her husband – himself somewhere in Arabia – Kaali finds herself on the brink.

About the Filmmaker: Rajan is a Kathmandu based Nepali filmmaker working in both fiction and documentary films. He resided in Europe for two years (2014-16) for his MA in Documentary Film Direction- DocNomads. On his arrival to Nepal in 2016, Rajan started to focus furthermore on his professional filmmaking career. Bare Trees in The Mist is his first film to participate in major film festivals like TIFF 2019 Canada, Tampere, HKIFF, Short Shorts Japan, Encounters FF UK, etc. He is currently in the late production stage of a feature documentary, No Winter Holidays.

Trailer:

SAVING DOLMA

(63 mins/ 2010/ Nepal)
by Kesang Tseten

Available from: 28^th November, 5:00 PM

Until: 3 December, 10:00 AM

About the Film: Saving Dolma reflects on the lives of female migrant domestic workers, one of the most vulnerable groups of workers, and the issues they face in the Middle East.

Festivals and Awards

• Premiered in IDF
• Audience Award - Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF)

About the Filmmaker: Kesang Tseten’s documentaries have been screened regularly in Nepal (Kimff and Film SouthAsia)  as well as at numerous international film festivals such as the International Documentary Film Festival of Amsterdam, Leipzig, Yamagata, Thessaloniki, Krakow, Viennale, the Margaret Mead; recipient of grants from Busan, Jan Vrijman Fund and IDFA Bertha Fund, Sundance Documentary Institute, and the Finnish Foreign Ministry.

Kesang is currently working on a documentary about the pre-Buddhist Bonpo and a revisit of Nepali migrant workers in the Gulf. He wrote the original screenplay for the feature Mukundo, was awarded best script, Nepal’s entry to the academy awards, as well as KARMA. His current projects include a film on the pre-Buddhist Bonpos of the Himalaya and a Nepali adaptation of Les Miserables, a feature project. He is a graduate of Dr Graham’s School in India, Amherst College and Columbia University in the US. 

Poster:

TAZREEN
(17:35 mins/ Bengali, English/ 2014/ Bangladesh)

by Yasmine Kabir

Available from: 27^th November, 5:30 PM

Until: 3 December, 10:00 AM

About the Film: Tazreen documents the aftermath of the garment factory fire that occurred on November 24th, 2012, at Tazreen Fashions in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was one of the deadliest industrial fires to have occurred in the history of the garments industry in Bangladesh, and was estimated to have killed at least 117 workers.

About the Filmmaker: Yasmine Kabir is an independent filmmaker. She lives and works in Dhaka and Chittagong, Bangladesh. Her documentaries are on stories that reflect the human condition.

EEB ALLAY OOO 

(88 mins/ Hindustani with English subtitles/ 2019/ India)

by Prateek Vats

Available from: 28^th November, 7:00 PM

Until: 29th November, 7:00 PM

About the Film: Eeb Allay Ooo! is an independently produced feature film. It follows the absurd, and at times, the outright farcical journey of Anjani, a young migrant who is hired to shoo away rampaging monkeys from Government offices by mimicking aggressive langurs - their natural enemies. The struggles and misadventures of Anjani become the lens to examine the realities and contradictions of contemporary India. 

Festivals and Awards

• Premiere, International competition section, the 3rd Pingyao International Film Festival, China 
• India Premiere, MAMI 2019, Mumbai - Golden Gateway Award (Best Indian Film) and Young Critic's Award
• Award, NFDC Film Bazaar, Goa 
• European premiere, Panorama section, Berlinale 2020.
• South American Premiere: Sao Paulo International Film Festival (New Director's Competition)
• Digital Premiere: WeAreOne: A Global Film Festival

About the Filmmaker: Prateek is an independent filmmaker based in Mumbai. A graduate of the film direction course from Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), he has directed both fiction as well as non-fiction films which have been showcased at various film festivals and non-formal spaces. His debut feature documentary, ‘A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings’ was awarded the Special Jury Award at the 65th National Film Awards. Eeb Allay Ooo! is his first fiction feature length film.

Trailer:

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