Kathmandu, June 3 – The 22nd iteration of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KimFF), which lasted for five days, concluded on Sunday. With this year’s theme being ‘Fractured Voices, Reclaiming Narratives’, the event featured more than 65 films originating from around 30 different nations. Additionally, it included exhibits and panel discussions aimed at giving prominence to marginalized viewpoints across the globe.
The esteemed Best ICIMOD Mountain Film Award was presented to “Butterfly Bhutan,” directed by Sonam Yangzom. In the realm of emerging filmmakers, India’s Manohar K garnered the KU Emerging Filmmaker Award for his work titled “Bird of a Different Feather.” Meanwhile, the accolade for the finest mountaineering and exploration film went to “Ashima” under the direction of Kenzi Tsukamoto. Additionally, a special mention within this category was bestowed upon “Minus 103 Degrees,” helmed by Feline Gerhardt.
In the international sections, ‘Cu Li Never Cries,’ penned by Pham Ngoc Lan, was honored with the Best International Feature Fiction Award. Meanwhile, Yakin Tekintangac’s film ‘Mori’ claimed the Best Short Fiction Award, while ‘Axie and the Wunder Dachsies’ earned a special mention under the same category. Additionally, Yi-Shan Lo’s documentary ‘After the Snowmelt’ took home the award for Best International Feature Documentary, and Dominique Syner’s work titled ‘Winter Taiga’ secured the top spot in the Best International Short Documentary category.
In the Nepal Panorama section, Saurav Ghimire’s work ‘Songs of Love & Hate’ received both the Best Nepali Fiction Award and the Best Nepali Documentary Award was bestowed upon ‘Chhau,’ which was helmed by Saja Sunuwar. Additionally, Kalani Gacon’s film ‘Family Man’ won the Audience Award.
At Cut.Katha, a live pitching event conducted during Kimff, the winners were revealed as follows: Shreeya Singh was awarded the British Council Prize (worth Rs 1,50,000), Aakriti Shrestha secured the Goethe-Zentrum Honor (valued at Rs 1,00,000), and Sushmita Bhattarai took home the Shanta Nepali Production Award (with an equivalent value of Rs 3,50,000 provided in-kind).
During the festival’s concluding statements, Shekhar Kharel, who serves as a board member for the KIMFF Foundation, conveyed the organization’s appreciation towards the sponsors, judges, volunteers, and the organizing committee.
