11th Nepal Human Rights International Film festival 2023:
Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival (NHRIFF) has established as a forum for advocating human rights via films. The voices of the people and the issues of human rights are not sufficiently raised in the film in Nepal. Film festival is not targeted in the issues of human rights. So, the project, ‘Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival’ will focus on those issues dealt above. Festival will be dedicated to the vulnerable communities who are historically backward in Nepal.
Selected Films
1. The Golden Cage
Director: Prataya Saha
Runtime: 10 minutes 19 seconds
Country of Origin: India
Project Type: Short
Overview
This is a poignant short film that delves into the rich historical tapestry of Kolkata, India. Set against the backdrop of the city’s iconic heritage, the film weaves a narrative that transcends time and evokes a profound sense of nostalgia. In the heart of Kolkata, in the early winter of 1989, the decaying “Roy Choudhury” mansion stands as a testament to a bygone era of opulence. Rudro, the younger brother of the final generation, grapples with financial desperation and urges Rajatabho, the eldest, to consider selling the house to salvage their family’s future. However, Rajatabho clings to the memories and heritage embodied by the house. Amidst this familial turmoil, Anjali, Rajatabho’s wife, finds herself overlooked and unheard. Rudro, in a desperate attempt to sway the family’s fate, seeks to enlist Anjali’s support, sparking a poignant exploration of the changing gender dynamics within this once-proud family home. As the day unfolds, a tearful Anjali grinds sleeping pills in her kitchen, reminiscing about the cherished moments scattered throughout the house. Her journey through the house is a reflection of her own life, filled with hidden corners and unfulfilled dreams. At dusk, standing alone on the terrace with a bottle of sleeping pills in hand unexpectedly, Rajatabho appears, and their eyes meet for the first time in months. In this charged moment, he poses a question: Should they sell the house? Anjali stands at the crossroads of heritage, memories, and her own inner turmoil. The fate of the house, a microcosm of Kolkata’s disappearing heritage, hangs in the balance. “Shonar Khacha” is a heartfelt exploration of the struggle to preserve history, family, and the essence of a city caught in the throes of modernization. It is a tale that resonates not only with Kolkata but also with anyone who cherishes their roots and the timeless treasures that define their identity.
2. A Bleak Home
Director: Bidushi Giri 
Runtime: 12 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
Dance tutor Shubhi decides to confront her partner whom she suspects of infidelity with another girl. Later on, she discovers her parent’s relationship falling apart. Now, the daughter and mother are in a dilemma of either holding on to the things that are falling apart or to let go of them.
3. Anta Barta (The Final Conversation)
Director: Prashanna Mali
Runtime: 11 minutes 25 seconds
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
This experimental short is a journey through a young man’s psyche who tries to converse with his mother, newly married wife, brother only to find out about a tragic truth that lies beneath.
4. The Notebook
Director: Sarita Sah
Runtime: 9 minutes 31 seconds
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
Bidya; who is very good at studying, lacks a notebook, due to which she gets order from the teacher not to attend class without a notebook. During her struggle at home to get some money to buy the notebook, no one gives importance to her words. Finally, when she catches the cheating done by the milkman in the calculation of price of milk sold to him, which results in protecting thousands of rupees, her education gets importance.
5. Next Attack on Jenin
Runtime: 11 minutes 45 seconds
Country of Origin: Palestine, State of
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
Recorded in the Occupied West Bank, this film is a glimpse of Palestine’s Jenin refugee camp hours before a deadly attack by Israeli military forces on June 19th, 2023. Jenin is an epicenter of Palestinian armed resistance. Israel routinely invades the camp, indiscriminately killing and wounding innocent refugees. This attack was the first time in over twenty years that Israel deployed such technologically advanced aircraft in the Occupied West Bank. All video footage was recorded between approximately 16:00 – 20:00, on June 18th, 2023. Chris Giamo is a documentary filmmaker and photographer based in the United States. He has a background in cultural anthropology and has conducted extensive human rights fieldwork in refugee communities and conflict zones throughout the world.Chris holds an MFA in Documentary Film & Video from Stanford University, an MA in Documentary Film & History from Syracuse University, and a BA in Anthropology from the University of Notre Dame
6.Chupi Roh
Director: Disha Bhardwaj 
Runtime: 15 minutes 45 seconds
Country of Origin: India
Project Type: Short
Overview
Chupi Roh is about a family of three, Leela Raju & their son, Abbu. They live in a small beautiful village deep in the Himalayas. Abbu is struggling with his gender identity while at the same time Raju is stricken by loss & failure. Amidst these issues, Leela is trying to find a way to deal with everything in the best possible way she knows.
7. Aatma Janma
Director: Miraj Roshan
Runtime: 13 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
“Aatma Janma” is a poignant 13-minute short film unfolding entirely within the confines of a single room, exploring the gradual transformation of a hopeful young woman into a person grappling with the profound impacts of her daily interactions as a sex worker in the heart of Kathmandu, Nepal.
The film begins with her infectious optimism, her dreams radiating from her eyes. Yet, as the minutes tick away, the room transforms into a microcosm reflecting the emotional toll exacted by the harsh realities of her life. The room becomes a silent witness to her encounters with each client, where each transaction etches away a piece of her spirit. The colours that once symbolized her dreams gradually fade, mirroring the erosion of her mental well-being. The film masterfully captures her subtle nuances of emotional descent, from forced smiles to vacant stares, reflecting the toll of her daily life. “Aatma Janma ” compellingly explores the vulnerability of female sex workers to mental health challenges in Nepal. The room, both a canvas and a cage, reflects the fragility of dreams in an unforgiving reality. The film invites viewers to empathize with her journey, encouraging dialogue about the urgent need for compassion, understanding, and mental health support within marginalized communities.
8. A guerra finite
Director: Simone Massi 
Runtime: 5 minutes
Country of Origin: Italy
Project Type: Short
Overview
A world without war is another utopia that we cannot wait any longer Un mondo senza guerra è un’altra utopia che non possiamo attendere oltre.
9. Windhorse
Director: Sunil Gurung 
Runtime: 10 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
Sonam, 50, embarks on a journey to Nepal’s high-altitude monasteries to honor his deceased wife, whose funeral he didn’t attend, reuniting with his estranged son Karma, 20, whom he is seeing for the first time. Amidst the rugged mountain terrain, Sonam strives to connect with his distant son, Karma.
10. Circle
Director: Ferhat Ertan 
Runtime: 9 minutes 38 seconds
Country of Origin: Turkey
Project Type: Short
Overview
The chador brought to the tailor’s shop will confront Arif with his own reality once more.
11. Death Has No Destination
Director: Supin Barman 
Runtime: 14 minutes 3 seconds
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Project Type: Short
Overview
Through death man begins an infinite journey. While alive a person is loved by all but after death, he becomes the most worthless. Finally we have no destination because Death has no destination. Our film is about a death body who has no access in the society & journey has no end.
12. Pomi Pothoe
Director: Chaweng Chaiyawan 
Runtime: 14 minutes 30 seconds
Country of Origin: Thailand
Project Type: Experimental, Short
Overview
A young Karen tribe man goes out to the forest to forage for food as part of his daily routine, however today the familiar forest looks strange.
13. Ramad
Director: Sulaiman ALKhalili 
Runtime: 19 minutes 59 seconds
Country of Origin: Oman
Project Type: Short
Overview
A story inspired by a true incident about a family living in a mountain village, where a medical examination reveals that their unmarried teenage daughter is pregnant, and then the family decides to kill and bury her to erase the shame, along with the doctor’s attempt to save the situation by correcting the fault.
14. Niso
Director: Dilshod Avazov 
Runtime: 28 minutes
Country of Origin: Tajikistan
Project Type: Feature, Student, Short
Overview
Niso leaves Tajikistan and comes to Russia to find her father, who left her as a child. Having lost the meaning of life, Niso hopes to find it again after meeting her father, but the path she has chosen is full of unexpected twists and will force her to face her fears.
15. Hotel Metalurg
Director: George Varsimachvili, Jeanne Nouchi 
Runtime: 1 hour 10 minutes 40 seconds
Country of Origin: Georgia
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
Women who fled the war in Abkhazia live in an abandoned luxury hotel. 30 years later, they have to leave, because the hotel is sold.
16. Blue Flower (Striving for the impossible)
Director: Sunil Babu Pant, Pradhumna Mishra 
Runtime: 40 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Feature, Short
Overview
A gay Nepali man in a rural setting is forced to marry a girl by his family. How do the couple navigate social pressures as well as take care of their needs? Tilak, a 22-year-old man, is gentle and reserved. His elder brother is married with a child. Tilak’s mother forces him to marry Urmila, a school-teacher. Despite their challenging context, the couple become friendly. One day, Urmila happens to meet social workers from Kathmandu who inform her about sexual and gender minorities. Tilak eventually moves to the capital and meets Ghanshyam, a police officer, who understands Tilak’s predicament. They get close. Tilak eventually requests Ghanshyam to take care of his wife’s needs as well. This short film, presented by Sunil Babu Pant, focuses on the issue of forced marriage and questions dominant ideas of normality.
17. Snajka: Diary of Expectations
Director: Tea Vidovic Dalipi 
Runtime: 1 hour 15 minutes
Country of Origin: Croatia
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
Snajka: Diary of Expectations is a participative-observational documentary about the Croatian-Roma couple Tea and Mirsad, their daughter Frida and an attempt of a life together, stretched between family pressure and compromises they are both willing to make. Their respective endowments were economically and culturally practically incompatible, so they had to face an unrewarding challenge of balancing their family baggage in the form of previous generations’ legacy on the road between Croatia and Kosovo. Joined in their wish to find a solution for their families’ unrealistic expectations, Tea and Mirsad will embark on a complex game of adaptation, which will finally prove to be a burden in their own intimacy. This extremely personal and intimate film unmasks a series of family rituals, traditional stereotypes, even cultural racism, amidst which two people in love are trying to find the right measure between fulfilling the image their parents have and the need to stay true to themselves and live by their own values. Tea and Mirsad obstinately try to be obedient children to their parents and, at the same time, free-spirited parents to their daughter Frida, which seems an impossible task, all the love notwithstanding.
18. Fatima
Director: Sourabh Kanti Dutta 
Runtime: 59 minutes
Country of Origin: India
Project Type: Documentary, Feature, Short
Overview
At barely nine years of age, Fatima was married off to a pimp in the red-light area of Forbesganj, a town at the northern end of the state of Bihar in India bordering Nepal. Fatima’s community is nomadic in origin. Branded as a ‘Criminal Tribe’ in 1871, they’ve been stigmatized and were denied access to their legitimate trades. To survive, men started pimping the women. Eventually they started trafficking girls from outside as well. Fatima left her husband when he wanted to prostitute their minor daughter. She escaped the red-light area in 2007 and became an activist, challenging trafficking in her community. We join her as she continues motivating, fighting for other women and children there. She sends her children to school and as we follow her personal ups and downs; falling in love again, trying to start a new family, we find out more about why she chose to fight against the abuse and exploitation that has become systemic in her community. Despite the forces of police corruption and community ties hampering her efforts, Fatima appears to be rewarded both as an activist and in her personal life. But there is growing resentment and her hopes appear to be constantly overwhelmed by the challenges facing her and her new family.
19. We Will Not Fade Away
Director: Alisa Kovalenko 
Runtime: 1 hour 40 minutes
Country of Origin: Ukraine
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
In this seemingly bleak wartime setting, five teenagers start to seriously think about their future. Their energy, enthusiasm, and hope allow them to fully live out their last golden hours of childhood despite the circumstances. The members of this imaginative band of dreamers paint, take photographs or fantasies about acting careers or becoming the next Elon Musk. They rebel, ride on the waves of adventure, walk into minefields and sunbathe by a local lake. They dream of escaping not only from the war but also – like teenagers all over the world – from the boredom of a small town. Then, unexpectedly, an opportunity arises to embark on a long journey all the way to Nepal. Will their dream of conquering the world come true?
In this seemingly bleak wartime setting, five teenagers start to seriously think about their future. Their energy, enthusiasm, and hope allow them to fully live out their last golden hours of childhood despite the circumstances. The members of this imaginative band of dreamers paint, take photographs or fantasies about acting careers or becoming the next Elon Musk. They rebel, ride on the waves of adventure, walk into minefields and sunbathe by a local lake. They dream of escaping not only from the war but also – like teenagers all over the world – from the boredom of a small town. Then, unexpectedly, an opportunity arises to embark on a long journey all the way to Nepal. Will their dream of conquering the world come true?
20. My painting has not color
Director: Hediyeh Khosravi 
Runtime: 4 minutes 30 seconds
Country of Origin: Iran
Project Type: Short
Overview
Child abusing and child human rights
21. Dear Daughter
Director: Hsu Pan Naing 
Runtime: 12 minutes 29 seconds
Country of Origin: Myanmar
Project Type: Animation, Documentary
Overview
A young Burmese woman who was trafficked to China and sold into marriage tells her story. Based on the real-life protagonist’s own words and beautifully rendered in pen-and-ink, this animation portrays a woman torn between her love for the child she was forced to bear and her longing for the country to which she may never be able to return.
22. Unwavering
Director: Jase P Chau 
Runtime: 20 minutes
Country of Origin: Canada
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
Unwavering is a heartwarming story about the perseverance of a family, and their hero single mother – against all odds, and through shear strength of will, their mother goes from merely surviving to making a gigantic impact as one of the first BIPOC war refugee builders in Canada. Unwavering is a story about strength, character, and love for family
23. Ptitsa
Director: Alina Maksimenko 
Runtime: 30 minutes
Country of Origin: Poland
Project Type: Documentary, Student, Short
Overview
Set during a pandemic, the story unfolds in the family home of two women – a mother and her adult daughter. In one part of the house is the mother’s music school, which she runs online. She is a piano teacher, a strong and organized woman who only has contact with her students and therefore has an endless sea of children around her. The other part of the building houses the daughter’s painting studio. The two worlds rarely come into contact with one another, constituting a metaphor for human loneliness. Ultimately, however, the protagonists are brought together by the story of the death of Katya, the daughter of their friend Inna. An intimate portrait of a mother-daughter separation experienced from different perspectives.
24. I DREAM IN PHOTOS
Director: Gary Lennon, Ollie Aslin 
Runtime: 1 hour 20 minutes
Country of Origin: Ireland
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
‘I Dream in Photos’ is a feature length documentary that explores the life and work of Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist Cathal McNaughton, who quit “the best job in the world” at the peak of his career aged just 40. Through this intimate narrative film, we learn of his courageous work in the field in some of the world’s most harrowing trouble spots. We find Cathal at a time of deep reflection. His obsession, his art, drove him away from his family and son. As he rebuilds personal relationships in his now almost monastic life, far from the adrenaline filled front line, he is challenged by the demons of his past. Directed by Gary Lennon this documentary will explore through Cathal’s breath-taking 25 year-long body of work the importance of photojournalism in a world saturated by social media and fake news.
25. Bride stone
Director: Guzel Duishenkulova 
Runtime: 15 minutes
Country of Origin: Kyrgyzstan
Project Type: Short
Overview
In one village in Kyrgyzstan there is a stone that looks like a woman. According to local beliefs, a young woman, having quarreled with her husband and father-in-law, runs away from home. The father-in-law sends a curse on the woman. The fleeing woman supposedly turns to stone. This legend is still believed by local women. And local men, taking advantage of superstition, and the image of a stone woman, are not averse to exerting not only moral even physical pressure on women.
26. Age of Learning
Director: Shuvangi Khadka 
Runtime: 25 minutes 50 seconds
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
This film follows two women in rural Nepal, Bishnumaya Gurung, 48 and Palhamu Sherpa, 66. After struggling all their lives due to illiteracy, these women are now making their way back to primary school along with their grandchildren. The film explores what drives these women and what they hope to accomplish in the future.
27. A BEAUTIFUL DAY
Director: Stefano Obino 
Runtime: 19 minutes 11 seconds
Country of Origin: Germany
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
The end of a war is never an end. A mother’s private diary takes us on a poetic journey through the lives of the many children who have fled the ISIS war and whom the world has forgotten.
28. 0.5 meters
Director: Gonzalo Suárez Garayo 
Runtime: 1 hour 18 minutes
Country of Origin: Spain
Project Type: Documentary, Feature
Overview
Gonzalo wants to be a film director, he dreams of directing comedies. In November 2006 his life stopped in a traffic accident that caused him a spinal cord injury. A few days after he was bedridden, he borrowed a video camera and as self-therapy began to film everything that happened to him, beginning his life 0.5 meters above the ground. When the state terminates his rehabilitation, he returns to his hometown. He has two options: stay put or continue his life in an eternal traveling. In order not to be alone, he decides to practice wheelchair basketball at the famous club AMFIV, and his story takes a Copernican turn. Discover a new universe for him in this professional sport, a world that has not yet been filmed from the inside.
29. The Riyalists
Director: Kesang Tseten 
Runtime: 1 hour 9 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
The wealth and opulence of the Gulf States in the Middle East were built on the labor of cheap labor from foreign countries. In 2009, four young Nepali men left their villages for the Arab Gulf, their stories, like those of a few million that keep the country afloat, often disillusioning and, as often, empowering, captured in the film In Search of the Riyal. The Riyalists trace the trajectories of the four men since then and over 12 years, a chronicle of Nepali labor migration, illuminating the experiences for up to 3 million Nepali working Qatar (2022 FIFA venue), UAE and other Gulf States the last few decades.
30. On the 19th day of the war
Director: Odveig Klyve 
Runtime: 5 minutes 57 seconds
Country of Origin: Norway
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
When a war is going on, the consequences are terrible for many civilians. Together with documentary scenes from the war in Ukraine, voices from all over the world are heard in this short film. They express their reaction to the war, by translating and reading a poem. The Norwegian poet, Odveig Klyve, wrote this poem on March 14, 2022, the 19th day of the war, and published it on social media the same day. The poem was quickly shared several thousand times. Spontaneously people started to translate this poem, and it has now been translated into more than 100 different languages and dialects.
31. The Cousin
Director: Amitabh Joshi 
Runtime: 12 minutes 13 seconds
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
Arjun threatens to report his undocumented cousin to homeland security in the heat of an argument over bagel bites.
32. The Symphony of Hammers
Director: Marc GURUNG 
Runtime: 25 minutes
Country of Origin: France
Project Type: Short
Overview
When her mother died, Nanu , 15, and her father Taj, 40, left Nepal for the Corsican countryside to start a new life. Nanu isolates herself in their small house and refuses to go out. But one morning, Nanu hears strange noises coming from the nearby field…
33. The Annoyed
Director: Mehdi Fard Ghaderi 
Runtime: 1 hour 25 minutes
Country of Origin: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Project Type: Feature
Overview
The film centers around three directors trying to make a film about social problems of violence and abuse against women and executions. The first director wants to emigrate, but learns that his lead actor is being executed, so decides to make a film about the execution. The second director wants to make a film about abused women but is opposed by her husband. The third director is informed by his doctor that he has cancer and wants to make the last film of his life. Each director’s story is focused on a different genre, story and covers a different generation.
34. Is There a Pine on the Mountain
Director: Chongyan Liu 
Runtime: 38 minutes 44 seconds
Country of Origin: France
Project Type: Documentary, Experimental, Student
Overview
An intimate account of a highly toxic relationship: during a lengthy visit from her boyfriend’s mother, the filmmaker documents the arguments between mother and son.
35. Hawaman
Director: Samal Kumar Bajracharya 
Runtime: 11 minutes 10 seconds
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
After several failed attempts of trying to fly like superman. Yug, an 8 year old boy, sets out to do the extreme to fulfill his desire.
36. YATRA
Director: LSM, Sahayog Raj Adhikari 
Runtime: 22 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
Yatra is a captivating documentary that takes viewers on a transformative journey alongside Rekha and Jyoti as they navigate the intricate paths of self-discovery, identity, and gender transition. Born in Nepal, both Rekha and Jyoti embark on separate yet parallel quests to embrace their true selves and live as women.While their shared desire to find their purpose and authentic identities unites them, their individual journeys unfold with distinct challenges and triumphs. Yatra sensitively explores the unique experiences, struggles, and triumphs faced by Rekha and Jyoti as they navigate the complexities of gender transition within the cultural and societal context of Nepal. Through intimate interviews, personal reflections, and poignant moments, Yatra offers an intimate glimpse into the profound transformations experienced by Rekha and Jyoti. Their stories are a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of self-acceptance and self-empowerment. As the documentary delves into their emotional and physical transformations, it sheds light on the societal norms, prejudices, and cultural expectations that shape their journeys.
Yatra challenges traditional narratives and invites viewers to question their own perceptions of gender and identity while fostering empathy and understanding. Sahayog raj Adhikari is a Nepal based filmmaker with a diverse background in acting, casting, and producing. He has worked as an actor/casting director in various TV films including ‘Crime Patrol Nepal’, fiction films, and theater productions. He has also worked as a program head, conceptualizing and producing TV shows for TV filmy, and Gauthali Entertainment. He has produced documentaries for Save the Children, and Blue Diamond Society. “Yatra” is his debut documentary. LSM is an Independent Filmmaker from Western Nepal. Sailesh directs short films and documentaries from Gauthali Entertainment. He is a Media Studies Graduate from Kathmandu University School of Arts.
37. Destiny
Director: Yaser Talebi 
Runtime: 53 minutes
Country of Origin: Iran, Islamic Republic of
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
A motherless young woman in Iran is torn between her desire to take care of her mentally disabled father and her desire to go to university. This documentary is observational, letting the people and emotions reveal themselves. A thicket of relationships and expectations are at work here involving family, clergy, friends, religion, social expectations. And Instagram . This is a window on contemporary Iran that everyone should see.
38. No Way Out
Director: Shekh AL Mamun 
Runtime: 1 hour 1 minute 12 seconds
Country of Origin: Korea, Republic of
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
18 years have passed since the implementation of the Employment Permit System, and through this system, many migrant workers have stepped on Korean land, with the goal of chasing their dreams. The protagonists of this film also came to Korea in search of a dream, but because there’s no freedom to change workplace in the Employment Permit System, their dreams are hitting the walls of reality .This is the story of 3 migrant workers living the harsh lives of laborers.
39. On my father’s grave
Director: Jawahine Zentar 
Runtime: 23 minutes 59 seconds
Country of Origin: France
Project Type: Short
Overview
A car drives to a Moroccan village. On board, Maïne and her family surround the father’s coffin. Tomorrow, the men will bury him and the women will wait at home. But the young girl takes a very dim view on it and intends to lead with her father to his final resting place.
40. Rest in piece
Director: Antoine Antabi 
Runtime: 9 minutes 35 seconds
Country of Origin: Germany
Project Type: Animation
Overview
Midyan decides to run away from his war-torn home. He packs his bag with objects that remind him of his loved ones and embarks on a journey into the unknown. Soon he is starving and resorts to eating the objects he has packed. The effects are monstrous yet they give him the strength to carry on through the scorching desert. Eventually, he arrives half-dead on the other shore of the sea and eats the most precious of his objects: a family portrait. This gives him the strength to finish his journey.
41. Yellow
Director: Elham Ehsas 
Runtime: 12 minutes 49 seconds
Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Project Type: Short
Overview
In Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, a woman walks into a chadari store in Kabul to buy her first full-body veil and face an uncertain future.
42. Lava
Director: Carmen Jimenez 
Runtime: 18 minutes
Country of Origin: Spain
Project Type: Short
Overview
After her parents’ divorce, Berta (7) travels with her baby sister and mother to her grandmother’s country house for the summer. After lunch, while the adults are napping, her cousin Jorge (15) offers to teach Berta how to ride a bike. Berta is very happy to spend time with him, but doesn’t realize he has other intentions.
43. A mountain of memories
Director: Julen Zubiete 
Runtime: 26 minutes
Country of Origin: Spain
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
Julen approaches Jose, one of the last shepherds of his town, wanting to portray a way of life that ends. In the time that both spend together the doors to the past open to observe what has remained behind.
44. The Life Line
Director: Jaganmoy Paul 
Runtime: 10 minutes 20 seconds
Country of Origin: Bangladesh
Project Type: Short
Overview
Logline: RATAN (35) struggles with his jobs, relationship & family, due to the pandemic, but he finds a way to wear the ring to rewrite his fate. But the fact demands more. Synopsis: Ratan (35), unemployed, lost his job in covid-19 and struggles every day in search of a job. His girlfriend married elsewhere, Father, a kidney patient, was untreated for lack of money. Home rent is due for several months. Manik (55) does palmistry on the road of Dhaka, tells fortune, and sells rings to change luck for the future. He guarantees the luck change of others, though his fate is unchanged. Ratan takes a ring from Manik or is given one by Manik. Can that ring change Ratan’s color of luck?
45. Men in Blue
Director: Sachin Dheeraj Mudigonda 
Runtime: 34 minutes 47 seconds
Country of Origin: United States
Project Type: Short
Overview
Resistance brews among the Indian immigrants who were stripped of their dignity when a reputed shipyard in Texas conscripted them as guest workers to repair the oil rigs and ships damaged after Hurricane Katrina.
46. Interbellum
Director: Milan Lohani 
Runtime: 14 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
Mohan, 12-year-old boy, is on vacation at his maternal uncle’s house in a far-flung part of the country. A Maoist rebel Saane arrives at the house seeking shelter for the night.Mohan’s perplexity grows as he realizes Saane is the one among the wanted insurgents. As he tries to make sense of the situation, Mohan is faced with difficult choices and must grapple with his own moral compass.
47. Sanai
Director: Akanchha Karki 
Runtime: 15 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Short
Overview
Two teenage girls separated by caste system fight against their society to play their favorite instrument SANAI forbidden to play by women while also keeping their friendship alive.
48.Buddhist Altar
Director: Deepak Tolange 
Runtime: 16 minutes 34 seconds
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary, Short
Overview
A masterpiece Buddhist House Altar has been at Asian Art Museum in Berlin since 1936. This film tries to discover the origin of the Buddhist House Altar and finds various aspects and rituals related to the altars in Nepal.
49. WHERE HAVE ALL THE SMILES GONE
Director: ANJA STRELEC 
Runtime: 29 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
Thousands of people are leaving their homes in Nepal each year to pursue their dreams and happiness abroad. Hoping for a better life and economic prosperity, Nepali workers move to foreign countries to earn money and help their families. However, in the destination countries they are often mistreated and deprived of their human rights. And while the immigration wave is increasing each year and Nepali economy heavily depends on remittance, the immigrants are often, instead with greater economic prosperity, coming back to Nepal in very bad health or dead in coffins due to the bad working conditions. Pursuit of better life often ends tragically for entire families. Should they continue their pursuit or stay home? Should people continue living in bad conditions in their own countries or die as slaves abroad?
50. 120 Decibels
Director: Faisal Sayani 
Runtime: 12 minutes 44 seconds
Country of Origin: Australia
Project Type: Short
Overview
120 Decibels tells the story of Shanti, a caregiver at an aged care home, who appears to lead a seemingly normal life. However, as you delve deeper into her world, you realize that her life is far from simple – at least for her. Shanti struggles to cope with the amplified levels of sound that make her extremely uncomfortable, from her personal relationships to her career. Her life is constantly noisy and disturbs her inner peace, and despite her best efforts to block out the sounds, she continually fails to do so.Always at the receiving end, always told to suppress her emotions, always being conditioned to keep it inside, Shanti’s being is brimming with these overwhelming waves of sounds, threatening to erupt at any moment. While a typical human conversation occurs at around 60 dB and a loud lawnmower registers at approximately 85 dB, Shanti’s hypersensitivity means that even the faintest sound can feel like an overwhelming blast at 120 db. As individuals, particularly women, we are often conditioned to conform to certain norms, such as consuming certain types of information and adapting to particular environments. We are often taught to tune out or ignore uncomfortable sounds or situations. However, what happens when we reach a point of saturation? When we can no longer tolerate this constant pressure to conform. 120 Decibels is an exploration of the impact that noise and sensory overload can have on our mental health, and a powerful reminder of the importance of finding balance and harmony in our relationships and living spaces.
51. No Winter Holidays
Director: Rajan Kathet, Sunir Pandey 
Runtime: 1 hour 19 minutes
Country of Origin: Nepal
Project Type: Documentary
Overview
Two lifelong rivals Ratima and Kalima have been appointed caretakers of their empty village. Now in the twilight of their lives, they must forget their past and help each other survive a long and harsh winter.