Palpa was recently the focus of an Indigenous Filmmaking Workshop involving 37 participants, who are expected to finish filming a number of documentaries and short films in  10 days. Organised by the Film Development Board, the workshop will end on January 29.

“Our objective was to examine unique facets of Nepal’s indigenous communities, and to document these,” says Prina Raj Joshi, the board’s coordinator. He adds that it was their intent to ensure direct participation from the indigenous people themselves in making the films. “Who better to tell their own stories?” says Joshi.

A film by Shanta Rai will focus on a small fishing community on the banks of the Kali Gandaki. Rai and three others are drafting a script. “It’s been educational,” Rai says. “The concept came to us while we were working on short films on local fishermen, and we just decided to expand on it.”

Nearby, in the Magar village in Tansen, a group led by Purna Bahadur Rana Magar is making a film on the challenges faced by the elderly in keeping up with technology. “Our story is about a couple struggling with using an iPhone sent by their son from Hong Kong.”

Then, over at Purano Basti, Kiran Chitrakar and his team are preparing a short film on the Newar community. Another group is filming on Chirtungdhara’s local Kumal families, known for making clay pots. “Clay vessels are being replaced by plastic ones, and the Kumal’s age-old ways are being threatened,” says Narayan Kunwar, one of the team members. “We wanted to capture that because it’s something that’s happening all over the country.”

The 37 participants—who came from 15 different districts, and eight indigenous groups—were guided by film critic and expert Anup Subedi, documentary maker Govinda Nepal and cinematographer and local Sagar Maharjan.