Newa Film Festival in sidelines of Indra Jatra

First Newa Film Festival-1132
27 September-4 October,2012.

Indra Jatra (mainly known as Yenyā Festival), starts this year 27 September-4 October,2012. Being one of the the biggest religious street festival at the Kathmandu Durbar Square, lasting for eight days. The main feature at Yenyā Festival is the living goddess Kumari is pulled around town in her chariot, and a host of other masked performers, including the demon Lakhe and the elephant Pulu Kisi, parade the streets of the city in a religious and ritual frenzy.

This year alongside on the sidelines of Indra Jatra (Yenyā Festival), first ever open Nepal Bhasa (Newa) film festival is being organized from 7:30 pm to 10 pm every night outside Janabahaa (Machhindra Bahaa), Kel Tol on all the days of Indra Jatra.

First Nepal Bhasa (Newa) film festival - 1132 is regarded to be the modern manifestation of the now extinct Daboo Pyakhan tradition. Daboo Pyakhan, which has been completely and irrevocably replaced by cinema and television over the past few decades, was the age-old tradition of putting up street dramas for the public at particular neighborhoods of Kathmandu during the week-long Yenyaa festival. The Newa Film Festival strives to revive the Daboo Pyakhan, but in digital format.

Film festival organizers at the briefing session

The first edition of the Newa Film Festival is being held under open skies every night during the YenYaa festival week this year. One full-length feature film will be screened each night, with an additional screening of six short documentary films over the course of the eight-day festival. The location is the busy market street of Kel Tol outside Janabahaa (Machhindra Bahal) in the historical core of Kathmandu city.

According to the organizers, being a non-commercial venture with no exchange of money they are glad for all the filmmakers contributing their films for screening at this festival free of cost, nor do they need to pay any submission fee. The audience will not be charged any fee to watch the films as by the organizers too.

The Newa Film Festival being organized from this year onwards will ensure that the Yenyaa festival will be even more boisterous. Local delicacies, handicrafts and DVDs of the films being screened will all be available at the film screening venue at Kel Tol.

The broader goals of this festival includes, among others, generating interest among the younger generation in Nepal Bhasa films, creating an archive of all films made in Nepal Bhasa till date, and to encourage more people to make high-quality films in Nepal Bhasa.

Also, The first ever film made in Nepal Bhasa, Silu, is to be screened at the opening night of the first open Newa Film Festival on September 27 at 6 pm at Kel, outside Janabahaa. The lead actress Nabina Shrestha, and many other actors and actresses of this film have already passed away. Silu and Rajmati are the only two celluloid films ever made in the Newa language.

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For your ease we share you the schedules on Nepal Bhasha (also Newāh Bhāy, is the newari language).