Feature film Panchayat, a tale set in the thirty-year long autocratic Panchayat era, premiered in Virginia, in the US, on Sunday.

Prior to this, the film was screened at the San Franscisco Film Festival, where the film bagged two awards—Best Foreign Language feature and Best Actress award (Nita Dhungana)—under the Foreign-Lanuage film category.

The premiere was attended by actors Saroj Khanal, Nita Dhungana, Rupa Rana, among other of the film’s cast and crew.

Panchayat is based in the year 1974 CE two years after King Birendra ascended the throne, and features real-life footages from the era. Panchayat was shot in Baglung and surrounding districts.

Panchayat is written and directed by Shivam Adhikari and features actors Ganesh Giri, Janwi Basnet, Suchitra Uprety, and Pakriti Dhungel, alongside Khanal, Dhungana and Rana. Panchayat is produced jointly by Shushant Shrestha and Shankar Subedi.

The film will hit screens across Nepal on March 16.