KIFF announces ‘Film Story Bank’ competition

By A Staff ReporterKathmandu, Aug. 25: The ‘Film Story Bank’ competition under the 3rd Karnali International Film Festival (KIFF) was formally announced in Kathmandu recently. 

Festival Director Chakra Bahadur Chand said the goal, purpose, and importance of the ‘Film Story Bank’ competition, stating that the campaign was launched to bring out the hidden stories, history, culture, and social realities of Karnali through cinema.

Deepak Joshi, CEO of the Nepal Tourism Board, highlighted that stories can be a powerful medium to promote Karnali as a tourist destination worldwide.

 He said, “If we promote the concept that one has to pay to reach the upper regions of Karnali, global attraction will rise. Policies are needed to further promote Karnali. Stories can be the medium to introduce Karnali.”

Actor and producer Deepak Raj Giri said that films are the best medium to introduce Karnali to the world.

Former Chief Minister Jeevan Bahadur Shahi said that this was the first time he had heard of such a concept and expressed commitment to seeking government support. 

Shahi said, “I learned for the first time about the concept of collecting stories and providing them to filmmakers. I will push for support from the Karnali government for the festival. I will also help create an environment to build infrastructure for film shooting in Karnali and make conditions favourable for both domestic and foreign film productions.”

Under the ‘Film Story Bank Competition’, any Nepali citizen living in Nepal or abroad can participate. The submitted story must be original, unpublished elsewhere, and not previously used in a film. It must be based on Karnali’s culture, traditions, history, or social realities. The top three stories will receive cash prizes of Rs. 50,000, Rs. 30,000 and  Rs. 20,000, respectively. 

In addition, the writers of the top 15 stories will be provided with a film scriptwriting training. Selected outstanding stories will be included in film production, and the writers will be credited as ‘story writers’ along with appropriate remuneration.

The deadline for story submission has been set for December 31. 

As part of the campaign  ‘Let’s Travel Karnali, Let’s See Karnali’, the Karnali International Film Festival aims to make Karnali a world-class film tourism destination. The festival also focuses on social and environmental issues such as climate change and sustainable tourism.