The tenth edition of Film Southasia (FSA) is slated to begin Thursday at the Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka, Lalitpur, with the theme Documentaries Won’t Be Confined. Given the growing culture of intolerance in the region, highlighted by the killing of a blogger in Bangladesh and attacks on journalists and movie makers elsewhere, this edition of the festival aims to provide a platform for documentary filmmakers to showcase movies ranging from sharp political commentaries to issues largely ignored in mainstream conversations.

The festival will kickstart with the screening of eight student films on the first day.

Film Southasia, this year, will continue until November 22 and will be screening 43 documentary films in total. The venue will house two screening halls, as well as discussion rooms for enthusiastic film lovers to interact with the filmmakers. The event will see 40 delegates coming to Kathmandu from all across Southasia to attend the festival and interact with people watching the films. There will also be outdoor screenings for certain films.

FSA’15 will begin with student films taking the centre stage. The films from Nepal, Myanmar, the UK, and India will touch on topics ranging from religious strife and migration to gender identity. The films will be judged by a three-member jury. Leading the adjudication panel will be Nepali documentary filmmaker Narayan Wagle; Anomaa Rajakruna, from Sri Lanka; and AS Panneerselvan, from India. The Best Student Film is slated to walk away with a citation of $500.

The festival, then, will be inaugurated by the prominent Bengali filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan, followed by the screening of Drawing The Tiger, a film directed by the veteran filmmaker Ramyata Limbu. The inauguration will take place at the Kamal Mani Theatre, Yela Maya Kendra, at 4:30pm.

FSA’15 Schedule, November 19, Thursday

Movie: I Can’t Be Mad At Allah

Time: 10:00am

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: India/Myanmar

Length: 18 minutes

A family of Rohingya Muslims escape proscecution in Myanmar, but how long before they have to move again?

Movie: Auntie Ganga

Time: 10:00am

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: Nepal/ UK

Length: 12 minutes

Auntie Ganga reflects on moving to London with her husband, a retired Gorkha soldier.

Movie: South Of The City

Time: 10:45am

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: India

Length: 38 minutes

How the lives of three boys changed after the infamous Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar, Delhi.

Movie: Blurring Lines

Time: 11:30am

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: India

Length: 39 minutes

A wrestler in the Uttar Pradesh police negotiates her non-normative gender identity.

Movie: Madrasa

Time: 12:20pm

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: India

Length: 27 minutes

Scholars of Islam and Maulavis of Muslim ghettos in Ahemdabad discuss traditional education.

Movie: Tyres

Time: 1:10pm

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: Myanmar

Length: 30 minutes

A workshop in Yangon transforms defunct tyres into new forms, reminding us of how each death gives way to a birth.

Movie: Sagar Manav

Time: 2:00pm

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra, Patan Dhoka

Country: India

Length: 21 minutes

Chaman Bhai Charlie spends days alone on an empty island tending to the lighthouse. Will he maintain his sanity?

Movie: Govandi Crime Aur Cinema

Time: 2:45pm

Venue: Majlis, Yela Maya Kendra

Country: India

Length: 37 minutes

A group of young actors produce crime television series to combat drug use in Shivaji Nagar, an urban slum at the edge of Mumbai.