South Asian Film Festival in Nepal

A four-day South Asian documentary film festival opened Thursday in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu with some of the main themes related to the Afghanistan war, Sri Lanka and mass suicides of farmers in India.

Also to be screened at the 8th edition of Film South Asia were documentaries about the migration of families from Myanmar, labourers in Bangladesh, natural disasters and the status of women in the region.

The festival opened with Journey to Yarsa, which documents the travels of a family from rural Nepal to the mountains in search of the aphrodisiac caterpillar fungus Yarsagumba. 'Film South Asia's focus is not just the subcontinent, but the people of South Asian origin all over the world, and the retrospective package reflects this meaning,' said Manesh Shrestha, a former festival director.

Of 400 films received, the organisers selected 36 for screening, said Kanak Mani Dixit, Chairman of the festival.