Chitwan to host Sauraha South Asian Film Festival

By Our Correspondent,Chitwan. Jan. 29: Sauraha South Asian Film Festival will be held in Sauraha, Chitwan from February 1.

Organised by Caravan Nepal, the festival will be held at the Chitrasari Sports Ground in Ratnanagar Municipality-7. 

According to president of Caravan Nepal and film director Bimal Paudel, the festival aims to foster the development of Nepali films and boost tourism in Chitwan, particularly in Sauraha.

With over 100 stalls featuring movies, tourism, and local traditional cuisine, the festival aims to attract 50,000 viewers, generating an estimated business of Rs.15 million, added Paudel.

 Paudel emphasised that the five-day event will serve as a platform for comprehensive discussions and debates on initiatives at both the government and private levels, focusing on film and tourism development, to draw the government’s attention to policy reforms.

Ratnanagar Municipality is the main supporter of the festival, which will host filmmakers from eight countries, facilitating opportunities for the latest artistic creations in the South Asian region.

 The festival will include competitions across feature films, documentaries and short films, with awards in categories such as best film, best direction, and best writing.

Supporting organisations for the event include the Film Development Board, Nepal Tourism Board, Nepal Telecom, Bagmati Province, Ministry of Tourism and Bharatpur Metropolitan City.

The festival will highlight the discussions on the international market and tourism development of Nepali films as well as biographies of filmmakers.

Additionally, a friendly football competition between players from East Chitwan and West Chitwan will also be held during the festival, informed Kisan Pokharel, Secretary and Director of the Festival Main Ceremony Committee.

Gokarna Giri, co-coordinator of the main festival committee, highlighted the festival’s objective to rejuvenate tourism in Sauraha.

Renowned artistes including Shambhujit Baskota, Raju Pariyar, Rachana Rimal, Shanti Shree Pariyar, and others, along with local talents and bands will perform in the festival, informed the organiser.