With her film Indreni Khojdai Jada (Chasing Rainbows) opening the 11th edition of KIMFF, director
Sahara Sharma is a trailblazer for young Nepali filmmakers.
Nepali Times caught up with the 25-year-old to learn more about her movie and her style of filmmaking.
Nepali Times: How does it feel to have your film kick off a major festival like KIMFF?
Sahara Sharma: It feels really good to be honoured in this way by KIMFF. But I hope my gender has nothing to with my film being appreciated.
What is Indreni Khojdai Jada about?
The story revolves around the lives of three siblings who moved to Kathmandu to pursue their dreams. They are common, everyday people that you would meet on a safa tempo or in the local vegetable market.
Who are your lead actors?
Sanam Pyakurel, who is a theatre artist, Deepak Ghimire, who has tons of experience performing in college and street plays, and Kritika Lamsal, who is a remarkably talented puppet artist, potray the three main characters on screen.
It looks like you’ve sacrificed production values for strong content. Was this a deliberate choice?
Our goal was to give this film a very realistic feel. We refrained from using trolleys and cranes, or even a tripod because we want the audience to feel like they’re watching real life unfold on screen. I agree we’re not as technically strong as mainstream cinemas, but I don’t think that has affected our storytelling in any manner.
What are some of the challenge and advantages of working with first-timers?
This was the first feature length film for me, the cast, and the crew. We all learned from each other, we had rigorous discussions. We shot for up to 18 hours over the course of 10 days, so it was like an intensive group assignment with the final product belonging to everybody.
Would you recommend youngsters interested in making films to take up guerrilla method instead of waiting for production houses?
I really like the guerrilla style of filmmaking, but I wouldn’t put my film in that category because we shot everything with proper permission of the concerned authorities. Although, if young directors and writers have a story to tell, they shouldn’t feel compelled to wait for production houses or a big star cast, or be concerned about distribution. If they have faith in their work, everything else will fall into place.
What can we expect from you in the future?
Well, I have a few films lined up. In fact there are a number of stories our team is working on. Our producer Abhimanyu Dixit and I are currently developing a script for sociopolitical thriller.
Indreni Khojdai Jada,
13 December, 4.30pm