The feature film Goodbye Kathmandu is slated to premiere at the upcoming Busan Film Festival, which kicked off on Thursday, in Busan, South Korea. At the festival, the film, whose release has been pending for seven years, will be vying for the title award in the segment Window on Asian Cinema. Goodbye Kathmandu will compete against 55 films from countries such as China, Japan, Thailand and India. The winner of the category will win a cash purse of $10,000. 

Goodbye Kathmandu is director Nabin Subba’s third feature directorial. Often credited as the pioneer of “Fourth Cinema,” a wave of Nepali films which explore issues from the indigenous community, Subba’s filmography includes acclaimed titles such as Numafung and Khangri, and one 52-episode tele-serial, Dalan. 

Goodbye Kathmandu brings to screen a story from the ten-year long Maoist insurgency. According to director Subba, the film tells the story of three youths, and how they, faced with hard choices, migrate abroad for employment. The film features actors Karma, Subarna Thapa, Anup Baral, Malvika Subba and Shahana Shrestha in the lead roles. 

The film will premiere at Busan on Friday. The producers are yet to set a date for the film’s Nepal release. 

Another Nepali film, A Curious Girl by Rajesh Prasad Khatri, will also premiere alongside Goodbye Kathmandu at the fest. Prior to this, films like Suntali, Kalo Pothi and White Sun were screened at the fest. 

Busan International Film Festival will run through October 21.