Entertainment
Ekadeshma short film fest: Death of a Sound Man bags the title award
Death of a Sound Man (directed by Sorayos Prapapan), a movie that depicts the life of a member of a film crew, won the best film award at the recently concluded Ekadeshma International Short Film Festival.Death of a Sound Man (directed by Sorayos Prapapan), a movie that depicts the life of a member of a film crew, won the best film award at the recently concluded Ekadeshma International Short Film Festival.
The panel of jury—which comprised of actor Manisha Koirala, film critic Paolo Bertolin, and filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki—described the move as “a hilarious political satire that pays tribute to the unsung heroes of cinema.”
Death of a Sound Man had previously been nominated for awards in various other international film festivals. Selected under the thematic section ‘Changing Perspective’, the film won a cash purse of Rs 50,000 along with the award.
Meanwhile, Silver Bangles (dir. Roshan Thakuri) and Mare Nostrum (dir. Rana Kazkaz and Anas Khalaf) won the Special Mention award in the same category. Bikash Neupane’s Lachhmaniya won the Audience Choice award while Istjan Bauma’s Lazla walked away with the Future of Cinema award—along with trophies, both films received a cash purse of Rs 25,000 apiece.
The festival hosted the screening of 99 films from 43 countries from around the world, and concluded with the discussion on the possibilities of cross-national collaboration among filmmakers in the South Asian region.
Thanks to the burgeoning interest from the audience, Kathmandu is becoming the choice destination for many film festivals. Earlier this month, Kathmandu played host to Film Southasia, which had explored the cross-cultural similarities in South Asia, and the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) is slated to be held next month.
Amid all the festivals, what is unique about Ekadeshma is its format. While the audience can enjoy as many as 10 films in the time period that takes to view a feature length, filmmakers have to be more creative to deliver their story within a short time frame.
Along with the screening of the movies, and various panel discussions, the festival also hosted a Film Lab where filmmakers worked together to develop a script.