Stakeholders of the Nepali film fraternity have called for social inclusion in the content and characters of Nepali films. During the 34th edition of the MediaTalk series, organised by St Xavier’s College on Friday, leading actor and singer Prakash Saput, film director Manoj Pandit, and documentary director Ramyata Limbu discussed the industry critically and called for social inclusion.

The MediaTalk series is a bimonthly educational event led by the Faculty of Journalism at the college. Students interact directly with national and international professionals, academicians, and activists on a range of social issues.

The theme of the talk series was ‘The Voice of the Excluded in the Nepali Cinema’ in celebration of the college’s theme of the academic year 2024-25, ‘Walking with the Excluded’.

Film director Pandit emphasised the significance of both the director as a communicator and the audience as a critical analyst, “The difference lies in the audience's perception of the content as opposed to how it is intended to be perceived”.

Pandit, also a member of the Film Development Board Nepal, further stressed that the movies screened to the audience shouldn’t only be profit-centric but must depict a story of struggle that clearly makes an impact and drives the viewers.

Saput, an actor and singer, opined that stories and content should be presented on the screen not only as the voice of people but also as a medium of interconnectedness. He stated that while the idea of inclusion has always been reflected in movies, society has failed to recognise these narratives.

Echoing the sentiment, the Director of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (Kimff) Limbu, called for self-development and awareness among society as well as film directors in the film sector.

“The narratives in the screen depend on the perspective and approach of the director, but they also depend on the audiences since they are the power bearers,” she suggested.

“We're on a journey to educate students with a series of project-based pedagogies,” said Chun Bahadur Gurung, the faculty coordinator of the MediaTalk series.

“Critical discourse on the theme today has helped students understand the progress Nepali cinema has made with respect to raising the voices of the excluded,” he added.

“Social exclusion is an easy evil, but social inclusion is a deliberate and noble action”, said Fr Augustine Thomas, SJ, the principal of the college.

He further stated, “Listening to the experiences and views of notable personalities in this series aimed to broaden students’ perspectives and inspire them to be boundlessly inclusive in their lives.”