Nepal film festival to make overseas debut in Hong Kong

The Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) will make its over-seas debut in Hong Kong this month show-casing short films and documentaries from the Himalayas.

The festival isn't just about Nepal's mighty mountains; it also charts the adventures and aspirations of individuals and communities across the country.

At the one-day event, the audience will meet the "Nepali Messi": the protagonist of Sunakali, a 45-minute documentary which sees a women's football team travel from one of Nepal's most impoverished regions to compete in a national tournament.

Another documentary, Journey to Yarsa, charts one family's thrilling expedition to collect a prized fungus known as Himalayan viagra. The film reveals the risks involved in obtaining the valuable medicinal fungus, which grows on Nepal's high terrain and is sold across China.

The other three films to be shown are less than 15 minutes long: Pawan tells the story, from a 12-year-old's perspective, of cultural shift as a family migrates to Britain; Punte Ko Pangro ( Punte's Wheel) deals with human aspiration; and Hari delves into corruption.

"For the Nepalese [living in Hong Kong], these films will remind them of home," says Basanta Thapa, chairman of the KIMFF. "For an international audience, it will be a chance to learn about Nepal's culture and lifestyle through films."