18 January, Kathmandu.

A jury committee, formed with the Film Director Guild of Nepal (FDGN), Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJPA),Enhancing Access to Justice through Institutional Reform Project (A2J) and UNDP Nepal, has selected a total of 20 film entries out of 56 submissions on 10 January through physical and virtual presence of the jury members.

On the basis of understanding on the issue of caste-based discrimination, message, presentation and inclusivity, an independent panel of judges selected the films. The judges included Phanindra Gautam, Joint Secretary of MOLJPA,  famous actor Nir Shah, actor Laxmi Bardewa, Janak Deep Parajuli from FDGN , Basant Adhikari, Project Manager  A2J, and Kamal Raj Sigdel, Head of Communications of UNDP Nepal.

Here are the nominated films:

The Basket

SUNYO

SAME

SAMANA

PUMAWANGU MHAGASA

PIDA

PARI

NAYA JUTTA

MA SWAYAM NEPALI

MA MA NAI HUN

KA KHA GA GHA

I AM NOT HUMAN

HE IS MY GOD

GANGA

FOO

CHET

BHAGWAN SABAIKO

BATTLE AGAINST CASTE BASED DISCRIMINATION

ACHOP

FLOWER

 “I watched all the films repeatedly and found most of the entries really impressive.” Added Joint Secretary Gautam, “Since the films we select will be strong tools for raising awareness amongst different communities across the country, I propose to select films based on linguistic, ethnic and cultural diversity as well, in addition to the fundamental bases.”

After the initial screening, a time of two weeks shall be allocated for public views. The selection made by the jury carries 50% while other 50% of the score will be based on the number of interactions on social media platforms. This includes number of likes and shares on Facebook, number of positive comments, and number of likes and share and number of retweets and positive quote on twitter.

There will be a cash prize of Rs. 200,000 for the winner, Rs. 150,000 for the runner up and Rs. 50,000 to the second runner up in this competition. Stay tuned for more updates.