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Amateur filmmaker Tsering Choden, along with a handful of friends, decided it would be fun to portray the Nepali perspective of democracy in a short film.
Some 900 people from 95 countries participated in the competition and out of them 18 finalists were chosen. Choden's video from Nepal is amongst the finalists. In order to win, they need votes from the public. The deadline is 15 June after which seven winners - one each from the Western Hemisphere, Europe, Middle East/North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South and Central Asia, East Asia/Pacific and one anonymous winner will be announced.
In October, this year, the six winners?one from each of the six geographic regions?will get an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington DC, New York and Hollywood, where their documentaries will be screened. The winners will interact with filmmakers, representatives from the US film industry and meet with government officials and civil society members.
The video from Nepal portrays its struggle for democracy, the April Uprising, and the chaos of transition. Sound bites from the general public can be heard throughout the video. "We talked to students, shopkeepers, housewives, professionals and even jogis," says director Choden, "music plays a key role in the video as it is the best way to capture the complex meaning of democracy in a straightforward and simple way."
Yanik Shrestha of the rap group Lyrics InThePenDense says, "It was important to come up with something witty and unconventional as we were making a powerful point, but it was also important that we have fun while doing it."
To vote : go to www.youtube.com/democracychallenge
