Kathmandu: This year’s Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) has started in Kathmandu urging to be serious about the climate crisis. The 19th edition of KIMFF started today in the auditorium of the Film Development Board.
The inaugural session of the festival was specially addressed by Sonam Wangchuck, a renowned environmental engineer and Rolex Award winner from India. This time the main theme of the Kimff Festival is ‘Climate Karma’. Wanchuk, an environmental engineer and chief guest at KIMFF, said that the impact of climate change in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region should be taken seriously.
Talking about the greatest quest of human civilization for love and relationship, Engineer Wangchuk said that both the government and the people need to be serious about the impact of climate change.
This year’s festival will feature films depicting the effects of climate change and conveying the message of gender equality and empowerment. More than 60 films from 28 countries, including documentaries, fictions, experiments, short movies and animations, will be presented on a hybrid mode.
Viewers from all over the world will be able to watch all the films on the portal of KIMFF Film Festival during the festival period.
The festival kicked off with the premiere of the 18-minute documentary ‘Dream Mountain’ directed by Kylie Rudick. It includes the story of a struggling Nepali mountaineer Pasang Lhamu Sherpa.
The first place winner will get Rs 200,000, second place winner will get Rs 150,000 and third place winner will get Rs 100,000 in cash. The best documentary in Nepali Panorama will get Rs 75,000 cash and the best narrative film will get Rs 100,000. The best mountain movie will get one thousand US dollars.