Soongava: Nepal’s entry to the Oscars

KATHMANDU, AUG 26 -
Nepal’s very first lesbian film will be running against other foreign film s for a nomination to the Oscars. Soongava—Dance of the Orchids has been selected as the country’s official entry to the 86th Academy Awards this year in the Best Foreign Language Film category. The announcement was made at a press meet organised at the Union House in Anamnagar on Sunday, where the cast was present to share their exciting news. While lead actresses Nisha Adhikari and Deeya Maskey, and supporting actor Laxmi Giri, were naturally at the event, other well-known personalities like Rajkumar Rai, Nawal Khadka and Manoj KC were also in attendance.

Directed by Subarna Thapa, Soongava was opened to theatres around the country early this year following much pre-release hype, but the film didn’t do too well at the box office. Despite its none-too-impressive turnout, it was still hailed groundbreaking for it’s delving into a controversial, and little explored, subject matter. Soongava was also screened at various festivals around the world, including the World Film Festival in Montreal, The International Hamburg Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of Young Directors in France.

Veteran film maker and member of the Oscar Selection Committee, Laxminath Sharma said that the film had been chosen for its many virtues. “We had four applicants this year—Sanghuro, Badhsala, Sirish Ko Phool and Soongava—and we made our decision based on close scrutiny and discussion on everything from technical aspects, to performances, concept and direction,” he said.

But Soongava’s path to the Oscars has been somewhat marred by recent assertions from some elements that because director Thapa is a French citizen, the film shouldn’t be considered entirely ‘Nepali’. “While I’m excited about the selection, those allegations have been disappointing,” Thapa said via Skype at the programme. “Yes, it’s true that I’m a French citizen as of last year, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was born and bred in Nepal.”

Labels: Entertainment