Women make films: A documentary film workshop is a training program organized by Kipalaya Production under the Plan International’s global campaign Girls Get Equal Representation. The #GirlsGetEqual is calling for #equalrepresetnation for girls to get media and entertainment makers to understand the effects of harmful stereotypes. Women make films provides a platform to young female filmmakers to dismantle negative stereotypes that limit girls’ ambitions and reinforce discrimination. It is a month-long workshop program in Kathmandu & Chitlang designed for aspiring young female filmmakers from all over Nepal. Ten of the selected participants will get hands-on experience in filmmaking, guided by some of Nepal’s top filmmakers, taking their skills to the next level while creating an original documentary film.
The workshop will have 10 Women Filmmakers along with 5 Non-Filmmakers, who will make 5 different documentaries in a group of 3. Participants will then travel to Chitlang to continue their workshop, find a subject and shoot their film. Each team will have its very own TA and a local female who will work together through all stages of the process, from developing the concept (as part of a predetermined theme, set by the program) to fine-tuning the final product.
In addition to a variety of master classes led by prominent figures in the Nepali film industry, you will develop a close relationship with the workshop’s mentors through all stages of the workshop. In accordance with your relevant field, you’ll boost your skills in scriptwriting, cinematography, editing, production and directing.
The Participants are required to edit their films on their own with the close mentorship of the editing specialists. Each team will have sessions with a color grader and a sound engineering expert in a professional studio.
Rajan is a Kathmandu-based filmmaker working in fiction and documentary film. He lived in Europe between 2014-2016, when he was earning his MA in Documentary Film Direction at DocNomads. He is also a Berlinale Talents Alumnus 2017. Since returning to Nepal, Rajan has focused on his professional filmmaking career. Bare Trees in The Mist is his first film to participate in major film festivals. He is currently working on a feature documentary, No Winter Holidays.
Babin Dulal is a Cinematographer who has shoot several Film. He graduated from his Bachelors in Motion Picture Photography at Oscar International College (college of film studies) 2015-2018, with the support of Infinite Studios (Singapore) Scholarship. He is also Alumni of Thailand Film Destination Festival 2018.
Amar Maharjan was born on 1993 March 30th in Kathmandu Nepal with Father Bijaya Kumar Maharjan and Mother Pancha Maya Maharjan. His great source of inspiration is his grandparents. He completed his schoolwork at Gajurmukhi secondary boarding school, did a computer diploma in Thapathali engineering college, and later attained bachelors in film studies from Oscar International College of Film Studies, Kathmandu Nepal where he completed his scriptwriting and direction in film making.
He continued his career in filmmaking as a director and slowly he pursues cinematography as a passion. Till days he works as a writer, director, and editor of his own film and cinematographer for others. He is on the filmmaking journey since 2015 and he is still happy these days :). He is now involved in a youtube channel called "Zyamaru" as a content maker.
He works as a mentor in cinematography at Oscar international film college.
: Rajeela Shrestha was born in Kathmandu, Nepal in 1996. Ms. Shrestha is a freelance filmmaker and a writer. Her greatest source of inspiration comes from her father. She is actively involved in film making since 2014 and has recently completed her bachelor’s degree in film, script writing and direction from Oscar International College, Kathmandu. She have made short fictions, documentaries, music video and have worked in various film making projects which have been screened around the world. She believes that visual story telling is the powerful medium to make people understand the complexities of the world a bit better.
Ashma Pokharel is an independent filmmaker/ film graduate (specialized in film editing) from Nepal. She started working at Nepal’s oldest film school from a very young age and spent 10 years of her life working in various posts. She has participated in multiple national and international film and documentary workshops including Asian Film Academy 2019 and the film made during the workshop was premiered at Busan International Film Festival, 2019. She has worked as an Editor and Producer in dozens of award winning short films and documentaries. Ukras Sveta (2015), a documentary shot during Interaction & Interdoc 2015, Serbia, won the Golden Medal at 63rd Belgrade Documentary and Short Film Festival. Her other documentary, Jerusalem If I forget you (2017), shot at Jerusalem Film Workshop 2017, Israel, premiered at 34th Jerusalem Film Festival. She has also been working as an Editing mentor since 2018. Having directed a documentary, 4 hours (2018) which premiered at Nepal’s prestigious film festival, Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, she's currently developing a short film to make her directorial debut in fiction.
Nawa Bijaya Shrestha, the founder member of Kipalaya Production, is a film director, screenwriter, and producer based in Kathmandu, Nepal. He holds a Master’s degree in Sociology and a Bachelor's Degree in Film Directing and Screenwriting from Tribhuwan University.
Mr. Shrestha has produced, directed, and written a number of short and feature films, documentaries, and television advertisements. Tsheter (2020), Samsaya (2019), A Nepali Short Film Guide for a Film Festival (2019), 4 Hours (2017), and other of his works have screened and won awards at several national and international film festivals. He has also served as the Project Director for Women Make Films: A Documentary Film Workshop, where he developed and led a number of courses for aspiring filmmakers.
He was also recently appointed by the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, Film Development Board of Nepal, to the 'Children Film Society Concept / Directives Preparation Committee (2021).'
He is currently working on his second feature film, SYU, after finishing his first feature film "Kausid" as a writer. He's also preparing for the release of his first feature film as a producer, "ANANTA," as well as the production of another feature film, "To the North," a co-production with White Cloud Productions in the United States.
Pradhanya is a Kathmandu based writer and independent filmmaker. Her work focuses on gender, women’s issues, children and mental health. She aspires to combine feminism and filmmaking in her craft.
Lately, she is a mentor at Camara Chica, a program to educate filmmaking to school students by Into Films and British Council Nepal.
Shrisha is an aspiring filmmaker. She is interested in acting and singing. She is currently pursuing her bachelors in film studies at Oscar International College (college of film studies) specinlizing in film direction.
Ambika Bhandari is studying Bachelors in film studies at Nepal Film Campus.
Asmita Lawati lives in sukedhara and is doing her bachelors in film making in Oscar international college. Her hobbies are playing sports like basketball and going on tour with friends . She wants to live in harmony. So tries her best to see things from their views too. She aspires to be a film director someday and tell the stories that she believes.
Jyoti Belbase, also known as Sapana is studying Bachelor in Film Studies at Oscar International College. She is an aspiring cinematographer.
Angela Chaudhary is a 18 years old girl who lives in Nakkha,Lalitpur. She is studying in Bachelor first year at Nepal Film Campus, majoring in cinematography. Besides studying, She has been working as a video editor for more than 2 years at Romi Moses Studio. She also does graphic designs and digital arts.
Purnima Maharjan is from Banasthali, Kathmandu. She is currently 22 years old and is doing Bachelor's in Management Faculty ( BBA ) at Platinum College affiliated to Pokhara University.She is interested in video editing and learnt a course of 3 months in editing. She likes to get involved in new opportunities that challenge her and wants to learn from those opportunities.
Pushpa Joshi is a young feminist activist from Nepal with more than six years of experience working on Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR), Safe Abortion rights, gender, sexuality, and young women’s leadership. She enjoys working and interacting with community people and strongly advocates for gender equality and SRHR. Pushpa is a young leader at Women Deliver, a youth champion at Asia Safe Abortion Partnership, and a co-founder of YoSHAN.
Mira Khadka is an aspiring filmmaker and a social activist. Originally from Dang, she is currently living in Basantapur with her family. She is currently studying for a Bachelor's degree in Social Work with a major subject in Rural Development. She has also been involved in different social activities. Recently, she along with her group has been awarded 'Changemaker Award' for their project 'Didi Bahini' and received a grant to make a short film as a part of the project. She loves reading, dancing, playing sports, and traveling.
She has been involved in a few short films and a web series as an actor over the past year. Moreover, she has made some of her own short films and has directed, acted, and edited by herself. Alongside acting, she wants to explore different aspects of filmmaking. She is also actively making YouTube videos for her personal improvement in film making.
Aashruti Tripathy holds a bachelor's degree in Media studies from Kathmandu University, her academic research focusing on ‘analysis of Nepali film posters’. Her first fiction short premiered on Himalaya Television as a part of a series while still a student. She has experience working as a Director, Assistant Director, Cinematographer, and Editor. Her experiences as a filmmaker ranges from TV to web series, and documentaries. She is also a recipient of ‘preventing sexual violence initiative’ (PSVI) filmmaking workshop and film festival 2018. She has also worked as a photojournalist for The Kathmandu Post and worked as a Multimedia Associate for an NGO, Daayitwa Nepal, focusing on youth employment and rural entrepreneurship. As the core-team of Gauthali Entertainment, Aashruti is currently working on the script for her short fiction film.
At the end of the workshop participants, using their newly acquired skills on gender transformation, produced five gender sensitive films on various diverse issues that women confront in their lives.
Press Release: Kathmandu, 10th September, 2021—
A month-long workshop about filmmaking was imparted to ten aspiring young women filmmakers. The workshop not only taught the participants about finer technical aspects of film making but also on how to portray the agencies of women in films in a field otherwise dominated by men. At the end of the workshop participants, using their newly acquired skills on gender transformation, produced five gender sensitive films on various diverse issues that women confront in their lives. Pushpa Joshi, one of the ten participants of the workshop says, “This workshop has greatly enhanced my skills and confidence to make films that challenge the stereotypical harmful gender roles. I will definitely make more documentary films in the future challenging the patriarchal norms and change the way women are misrepresented in cinemas. The screening of the produced films has been planned to take place on 10th September 2021 at the hall of the Film Development Board.
This workshop, ‘Women make films’ was organized and coordinated by Kipalaya Production in collaboration with Plan International Nepal as a part of its social campaign Girls Get Equal. The program was organized in association with Oscar International College and was supported by the Film Development Board.
Chirnajibi Guragain, Film Archive & International Relations Officer at Film Development Board, was impressed with the initiative of the Plan International Nepal and Kipalaya Production to engage aspiring young women filmmakers and mentor them to make gender sensitive films. He also stressed that the Film Development Board will support similar initiatives in the future too.
“We congratulate the ten participants for successfully completing the workshop and wish them well for their future accomplishments in this field. I hope this will be a precursor to many more young women occupying the space and bringing about the much desired change of recognizing the agencies of women in our films.”- says Prasen Khati, Influencing, Campaigns and Communication Director at Plan International Nepal.
The mentor of the workshop Rajan Kathet thanked Plan International Nepal for the support and said, “In a very short interval the participants besides learning the fundamentals of documentary filmmaking, but they also developed the confidence to approach complete strangers and ask for their permission to film their lives and see into the lives of other women and find commonalities.”
The month-long workshop was one of its kind and an innovative approach towards engaging with young women to bring about structural change. The screening event will further provide the young filmmakers a platform of exposure among the stakeholders and also encourage them to produce more films with positive representation of women and girls.
Plan International is an independent development and humanitarian organisation that advances children’s rights and equality for girls. Plan International has been working in Nepal since 1978 helping marginalized children, their families and communities to access their rights to survival, protection and participation. With the close coordination of local partners and stakeholders, we are working in 12 districts across the country.
The Girls Get Equal campaign was created by Plan International with youth activists around the world. It aims to ensure girls and young women, in all their diversity, have equal power over their own lives and can shape the world around them. The campaign is live in 62 countries and counting.
Kipalaya Production is a Kathmandu based film Production Company specializing in film production services. In 2018, a few like-minded cinema aspirants came together to formally begin the journey under one comprehensive umbrella.
‘Kipalaya’ has a deep-rooted belief in the talents and capabilities of Nepali filmmakers who, when given an opportunity, can perform wonders while bringing our stories to the forefront in any format or platform.
For more information, please contact:
Shreejana Bajracharya
Campaign Specialist
Plan International Nepal
Email: Shreejana.Bajracharya@plan-international.org
In many of the households, we see women work in and outside the house keeping a balance for themselves and their family members. Their effort is underappreciated and often neglected, in real life and in cinema as well. As the film industry is dominated by male, the films show women through the eyes of men and they are misrepresented in limited roles. I am making a film that recognizes the struggle of working women and the time that women give to make things easier for everyone else in the family.
Aashruty Tripathi
There is always a gap working with male members when it comes to discussing, scripting, and executing things in films. I had the opportunity to work with an incredible group of young female filmmakers in Nepal who inspired me to tell my own narrative. The opportunity to tell the stories of another strong woman made me feel empowered as a young woman.
Mira Khadka
Technology and films have always been dominated by cisgender heterosexual men for a long time because of which, the contents of the films are also from the men’s point of view catering to their pleasure and wants. Research titled “Representation of women and girls in Nepali cinema” was conducted as part of Plan International Nepal’s campaign Girls Get Equal in early 2021 whose findings also pointed out that the negligible participation of women and marginalized populations in the process of film making also affects how they are represented in the films. The research recommended enhancing the capacities of more women to claim their rights and space in the Nepali film industry which can enhance the positive representation of women and girls in Nepali cinema. This recommendation was well acknowledged through the program ‘Women make films’.
The month-long engagement called ‘Women make films’ with the aspiring young women filmmakers was organized and coordinated by Kipalaya Production in collaboration with Plan International Nepal as a part of the Plan International Nepal’s social campaign Girls Get Equal. The program was organized in association with Oscar International College and was supported by the Film Development Board. Through this initiative, Plan International Nepal aims to contribute to the elimination of harmful gender norms from the films so that girls and women get equal opportunities and representation in all spaces including in the films.
Applications were called on the social media platforms of Kipalaya Production inviting interested young women to be part of the workshop. After a thorough analysis of the applications, 10 inspiring young women were selected for the workshop ‘Women make films’ who were trained and facilitated in both online and physical spaces on various aspects of film making. Some of the topics covered during the workshop were script writing, subtitling, editing, pitching, technical training for the film making and so on. The participants were also provided with equipment and practical training on how to use them for filmmaking. Young girls engaged with Plan international Nepal were also part of the online workshop who shared their inspiring stories of leading activism on various issues in their community. The interaction between the young girls and 10 participants was very helpful for the participants to further explore the structure of Nepali society and how girls and women are resisting the harmful norms from their end. With both theoretical and practical skills, the young women made five films through a gender transformative approach which challenged the harmful social and patriarchal norms. The films made have successfully addressed and acknowledged the diversity and intersectionality within women and have presented beautiful stories through the films.
The month-long workshop was one of its kind and an innovative approach towards engaging with young women to bring about structural change. The screening of the produced films has been planned to take place on 10th September 2021 at the hall of the Film Development Board which marks the end of this workshop. The screening event is expected to further provide the young filmmakers a platform of exposure among the stakeholders and also encourage them to produce more films with positive representation of women and girls.
Despite the challenges caused by the current pandemic, the workshop was accomplished and the passionate young women were brought together to learn in a supportive environment. At the end of the workshop, five films were made by the young women which is an act of a revolution in the world where men have been the gatekeeper of the films and technology.
And yes, women made films.
