by Samrat Silwal
Nepali Cinema, since its inception, has been overwhelmingly dominated by upper-caste (mostly Bahun-Chettri) viewpoints. This control is not accidental but accurately exposes the power structures of Nepal’s cultural and political institutions, which have historically disregarded Indigenous voices.
The media landscape of the country has a standardized format rooted in Khas Arya norms, which has led to the erasure of indigenous voices, many of whom are rich with oral storytelling traditions and world views. Even when we see indigenous characters appear in films, they are often portrayed through stereotypical, exoticised, and rarely as complex human beings.
When indigenous voices find themselves in a limbo where their belief systems are ignored and their realities are bound within the confines of Hindu-Brahmin frameworks, this results in not just misrepresentation but also a kind of cultural silencing. Also, Nepal is an extremely diverse nation with communities that speak about 123 languages. To only see films and documentaries that come out in Nepali also speaks volumes about the imposition of Nepali and the wiping out of languages and cultures in the process.
Why are Indigenous films in need of such traction?
Indigenous storytellers are often barred from funding, technical equipment, professional networks, and possible distribution avenues. Backed into a corner, indigenous storytellers are forced to follow a certain aesthetic that distorts their identities and perpetuates stereotypes. Moreover, these storytellers face the challenge of reaching their very own communities, whose participation and engagement are most crucial.
Purpose
The article is written for people in the film and media industry as well as allies who are in the position to rethink and reconsider how stories are approached, created, supported, and shared. The purpose is to raise awareness about indigenous filmmakers and artists and develop community-centered strategies that can foster an inclusive media landscape. It is an effort to encourage allies and institutions to recognize and support these voices.
Platforms for Indigenous stories
It is imperative to mention that these indigenous storytellers need a platform and resources to share their stories with the world. Here are some of the recommended steps:
- Regional Story Labs & Filmmaking Workshops
Community-based filmmaking workshops should be held in several regions of the country, focusing on building technical skills amongst interested youths. Here, collaboration is crucial with cultural organizations. As the program progresses, there will be more opportunities to hold regional story labs and focus on creators telling the stories of their land and their culture. One of the examples that stood out was the Kathmandu Doc Lab, which acts as an incubation lab for projects of filmmakers across South Asia. The Doc Lab is an initiative by Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, which is one of the premier film festivals in Nepal. A similar route could be taken, but done in a smaller scale, for filmmakers around Nepal. Using the template by Doc Lab, stories can be similarly developed, and filmmakers around Nepal can participate and incubate their idea into a reality.
- Archive and Oral History
One of the major reasons indigenous cultures have struggled is the lack of an archive of oral narratives, songs, and ceremonies. These items can serve as a source material for filmmakers and storytellers. This can also play a role as a living archive from which inspirations for new stories can emerge, deeply rooted in their language, land, and lineage. Taking inspiration from the work of Nepal Picture Library, a digital photo archive that strives to create an inclusive visual archive of Nepali social and cultural history, similar efforts could be made to conserve indigenous art and memory, and as a point of source for indigenous storytellers.
- Peer mentorship and knowledge sharing
This platform should also connect aspiring storytellers with experienced ones through horizontal mentorship, rather than a more hierarchical relationship. One of the examples is the Tony Hagen Foundation Grant by Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF), wherein participants are given resources and mentorship to develop the projects of their choice. Over the last few years, quite a few documentaries have come out from different parts of the country, and a few of them have featured indigenous voices.
What does an alternative distribution look like?
Inspired by Third Cinema and grassroots storytelling movements, we need to look for alternative distribution routes.
- Traveling Cinema
Traveling Cinema takes inspiration from mobile cinema, focusing on a grassroots exhibition model that brings films and media content directly to the communities using portable projectors and open-air spaces. Channeling the spirit of Third Cinema, we challenge the exclusivity of urban theaters. One of the initiatives done by KIMFF, Travelling KIMFF, does a similar job and has conducted traveling film shows across more than 50 districts in Nepal as well as a few foreign countries with a huge presence of Nepali diaspora.
- Community Exhibition
Community exhibition is about more than just showing a film, it’s about creating a space where people come together to celebrate, reflect, and reclaim their cultural narratives. A powerful example of this in Nepal is Echoes in the Valley, the country’s only free international festival that centers folk music and the ecosystems of heritage surrounding it. The festival brings musicians from diverse backgrounds into shared spaces, reviving traditional sounds and the stories they carry. In the same way, our film distribution model can draw inspiration from Echoes in the Valley using cinema as a communal ritual, mobilizing people across regions, and creating inclusive events where Indigenous stories are not only shown but honored, dialogued with, and remembered.
- Harnessing the power of the Nepali diaspora
While we understand the importance of helping indigenous cultures create and showcase their work in Nepal, it is also important for these films to find an international market to showcase their work. For Nepali films, the most obvious foreign markets would be the Indian and Chinese markets. There is a scope to sell licensed content to these markets to increase the reach, as well as getting funds to the creators of the films.
FInal Thoughts
It is both troubling and urgent that Indigenous tales continue to be so under-represented in a nation as culturally and geographically diverse as Nepal. This isn’t because they aren’t being told; rather, it’s because they aren’t being supported, shared, or seen. It has become evident from this research that the spirit of Third Cinema is present in Nepali cinema and is just waiting to be sparked.
Sources
Available at: https://kimff.org/kathmandu-doclab/
[Accessed May 2025].
Nepal Picture Library. [Online]
Available at: https://www.nepalpicturelibrary.org/about/
[Accessed May 2025].
Toni Hagen Foundation Grant. [Online]
Available at: https://kimff.org/toni-hagen-grant/
[Accessed May 2025].
Travelling KIMFF. [Online]
Available at: https://kimff.org/travelling-kimff/
[Accessed May 2025].
Echoes in the Valley. [Online]
Available at: https://www.echoesinthevalley.com/about
[Accessed May 2025].