Indigenous film festival begins in Nepal

An International Indigenous Film Festival (IIFF) to showcase the diverse culture and traditions of the indigenous people around the world was inaugurated in the Nepalese capital today.

Organised by the Indigenous Film Archive (IFA), the festival from June 6-9 will showcase a broad range of films, documentaries and animated movies from Nepal and other countries.

During the four-day event, at least 21 films and documentaries from 11 different ethnic communities in Nepal including Newar, Limbu, and Gurung will be screened, according to the organizers.

The organisers have also selected 27 films and documentaries from 10 other countries from Europe, Americas, Africa, Australia and Asia for the festival, the NepalNews online said.

The organisers aim to offer the viewers a taste of diverse culture and tradition and bring forth issues of the indigenous people that have remained sidelined till now, the report said.

Since the inking of the landmark peace deal between CPN-Maoist and the interim government in November 2006, the indigenous people in Nepal have highlighted their issues through numerous political and cultural organisations.

The have also won major concessions in both political and cultural fields as Nepal prepares to write a new constitution after the abolition of the 240-year old monarchy last month.