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Film South Asia 05 is being held from 29 September
to 4 October 2005 in Kathmandu. This is the fifth
edition of the biennial festival of South Asian
non-fiction film, which brings together the best
documentaries of the previous two years. About
40 films are being screened at FSA ’05,
after which a selection presentations will tour
the world as part of Travelling Film South Asia.
The only regular festival dedicated to the craft
of non-fiction film, Film South Asia has become
a platform for regional filmmakers seeking to
exhibit new works to a critical audience of peers
and lay people. Since 1997, the festival has succeeded
in promoting a sense of community among independent
filmmakers from all over. It has also helped develop
an audience and market for non-fiction film within
and outside Southasia.
The relaxed atmosphere which has become the
signature of FSA brings together filmmakers, journalists,
scholars and film buffs into a comfortable interface,
helping generate cross-regional friendships and
projects. A sense of discovery accompanies every
FSA festival as well as the subsequent touring
festival.
We are happy that once again to be providing
the venue for the most creative and dedicated
non-fiction filmmakers of Southasia, a region
hosting a fifth of humanity and a good portion
of its diversity. Southasia is the documentarist’s
paradise, and every time we find more variety
and depths in the films presented. In the last
week of September 2005, the celebration will continue.
Films in Competition
Films South Asia is a competitive festival. Films
made after 1 January 2003 are eligible for competition
in FSA ’05. The Ram Bahadur Trophy for Best
Film will be awarded to the documentary chosen
by a three-member Southasian jury on the basis
of overall excellence. The documentary chosen
second best will also be awarded.
The Best Debut Filmmaker Award will go to the
first-time documentarist the jury chooses to recognise.
This is an honour being introduced for the first
time at FSA ’05. Cash prizes accompany the
awards: USD 2000 for Best Film, and USD 1500 for
Second Best Film and USD 1000 for Best Debut Filmmaker.
Reflecting the upward trend in documentary production,
every Film South Asia festival has received more
production than the last. The first Film South
Asia in 1996 received 135 films. This year, we
expect to receive more than 250 films for selection.
Barrel of the Gun
Two days of FSA’05 will showcase historically
significant documentary and feature films from
all over the world that address the subject of
armed power used against the people. The “Barrel
of the Gun” selection will address issues
of violence from all over, with an eye on the
situation in Southasia.
Symposium on Film Markets
A special symposium will be organized as part
of FSA ’05, addressing the status of the
international market for Southasian documentaries
and how to access that market. International experts
will make presentations, among other things, on
the evolving market for audio-visual media internationally,
the place of Southasian subjects within it, and
the best means to sell and to exhibit.
Travelling Film South Asia
A selection of up to 15 outstanding films from
FSA ’05 will make up the Travelling Film
South Asia which will tour all over Southasia
and the world. Each of the past editions of TFSA
has been to above 40 venues, where they have been
received enthusiastically by dramatically diverse
audiences. Within Southasia, the travelling festival
helps build awareness and empathy among audiences
across frontiers. We expect the forthcoming TFSA
’06 to go to more venues than ever, building
on the increasing interest in our region as well
as on the increasing quality of documentaries
being produced here.
Clearinghouse of South Asian Non-Fiction Film
The Film South Asia Secretariat hosts the Clearinghouse
for South Asian Non-Fiction Film, which markets
documentaries from the region for non-commercial
and non-broadcast purposes. An increasing number
of documentaries are being sold by the Clearinghouse
since it was launched at FSA ’03. The customers
include research organisations, advocacy groups,
government institutions, educational institutions,
and others. The Clearinghouse works on the basis
of non-exclusive agreements with filmmakers, and
thus far has limited itself to films entered for
Film South Asia.
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