The British Council, in collaboration with Dhaulagiri Films, organised Reel Connections, a screening of films made by the Nepali Diaspora in the United Kingdom (UK) on June 27 at the British Council in Lainchaur. Curated by filmmaker Asmita Shrish, films by Tara Manandhar, Swek Rai, Susannah Kala Limbu (with her co-director Anna Dobs), Maximus Limbu and Shirish Gurung were shown. Curator Shrish also showed one of her films during the event.

The programme was opened by Rob Fenn, British ambassador to Nepal. During his opening remark, he talked about how these films carry valuable narratives and voices that he is eager to learn from.

While the UK’s Nepali population is often associated with military services and the British Gurkha, the curated collection provided a fresh perspective on how Diaspora youth have shaped narratives and created new identities. For example, Swek Rai’s ‘The People Closer to Heaven’ takes a frank look at how the Nepali Diaspora navigate questions around identity.

Tara Manandhar’s ‘Top Ten London’ portrays diverse immigrant cultures through vignettes of community celebrations, while Asmita Shrish’s ‘Auntie Ganga’ follows the life of an elderly Nepali woman in Aldershot. Other films deal with relationships, belonging, and place.

“Our film screening events are for everybody. Therefore, we have ensured essential accessibility features including sign language interpretation for deaf audiences and audio description for blind audiences,” shared Nhooja Tuladhar, head of Arts, British Council.