The biennial film festival, Film Southasia, is just around the corner. The 11th iteration of the fest, themed Documentary Bears Witness, is slated to kick off on November 2 at the Yalamaya Kendra in Lalitpur. 

FSA’17 will host the screening of 63 documentaries representing countries from all eight SAARC countries, and Myanmar. 

“FSA’17 brings to Nepal the finest documentaries on Southasian subjects produced over the previous two years in a bid to inform, entertain and help promote transformative thinking. The festival also hopes to bring in filmmakers from all over the region and the globe to discuss non-fiction film and promote interaction and mutual understanding in order to strengthen the craft of documentary filmmaking in the region,” the organisers said in a statement. 

Out of the 63 films to be screened during the fest, 45 will vie for five awards:  The Ram Bahadur Trophy for the best film, carrying a purse of USD 2,000; the runner-up award for second best film with a cash purse of USD 1,000; the Tareq Masud Best Debut Film award with USD 1,000; the UNICEF award for the Best Film on Children’s issues with USD 1,000; and the Best Student Film award of USD 500. The winner will be announced on November 5. 

The competing documentaries will be judged by a jury comprising Kunda Dixit, editor and publisher from Nepal, filmmaker Farjad Nabi from Pakistan, and senior journalist Rajashri Dasgupta from India. 

The festival will also see two special sections—Student Films, comprising films from up-and-coming filmmakers; and Documentaries of Dissent, which include films that were either banned or highlight the dissent within the region. 

Organised since 1997, the festival is the first of its kind that brings together films from all across Southasia. The festival is considered a premier event for filmmakers and enthusiasts alike in Southasia. 

“This year we bring an exceptional selection of films for the Kathmandu audiences that reflect the unusual and interesting times that Southasia is currently living through,” festival director, Mitu Varma, said.