This is a shortened version of the more detailed report made to Film South Asia ´97 by the Festival Jury, which comprised of noted filmmaker Pankaj Butalia from Delhi; Colombo-based journalist and educationist Nalaka Gunawardene; and theatre, television and film personality from Lahore, Salman Shahid.
The independent South Asian documentary is still in its infancy and needs to be nursed for some more time. Initiatives like the Bombay International Film Festival for Shorts and Documentaries, as well as Film South Asia, can go a long way in establishing fora at which voices from the Subcontinent can be heard. Over the last decade in which documentary film festivals have established themselves in India, they have already generated a desire in Indian documentarists to interact with their environment on film and video. We hope that Film South Asia will play the same role for other filmmakers from all over the Subcontinent.
Since Kathmandu has seized the initiative, we hope it will become a permanent venue for such a festival – that its popularity will grow over time. We look forward to the day when film festivals the world over will flock to Kathmandu to see the best of South Asian documentaries.
Our initial fears and expectations on seeing the list of strong entries from India was that all the top awards would be cornered by Indian films. But something unexpected happened. Two films from other countries stormed their way into the final reckoning – making it impossible for us to take any decision other than the one we have taken, in all objectivity. And so, we announce the following awards.