| Project |
Black and White Photo
| No. |
3 |
|
|
|
|
Director
|
Rajesh Prasad KHATRI |
| Country |
Nepal / Hong Kong, China / France |
|---|
| Producer |
CHONG Shuk Fong, Min Bahadur BHAM, Catherine DUSSART |
|---|
| Production Company |
Shooney Films |
|---|
| Writer |
Rajesh Prasad KHATRI |
|---|
| Genre |
Drama |
|---|
| Running time |
90min |
|---|
| Project Status | Script Development |
|---|
|
Director’s Profile
|
Rajesh Prasad Khatri is a Nepalese filmmaker and is currently a primary school teacher in his mountain village. A Curious Girl (2017), his debut short film, premiered at Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) 2017, won the Special Prize of the Generation Kplus International Jury at Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) 2018, and screened at over 30 international film festivals, winning 12 awards. Prior to making short films, he was an assistant director, most notably on The Black Hen (Min Bahadur Bham, 2015), the first Nepali feature film to premiere at Venice International Film Critics’ Week 2015, and Fedeora Award for Best Film winner.
Currently, he is in the postproduction phase of his second short film, A Scarecrow, having participated as a fellow of the Asian Film Academy (AFA) 2018 and securing the President′s Special Recognition Award for the project at the AFA-MPA Film Pitching Competition. He is also developing his first feature, Black and White Photo (BIFF’s Asian Cinema Fund, Asian Project Market 2019). |
|
Producer’s Profile
|
Producer Chong Shuk Fong, based in Hong Kong, graduated in filmmaking from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, and is a BIFF 2018 Asian Film Academy alumnus. Since 2013, she has produced films in Hong Kong, China, Taiwan and Nepal, which have screened at film festivals around the world, including Berlin and Busan. Her recent short film, A Curious Girl (Rajesh Prasad Khatri, 2017), won the Special Prize of the Generation Kplus International Jury at Berlinale 2018.
Award-winning Nepalese film director/producer Min Bahadur Bham owns production company, Shooney Films, which has produced several films that have screened at film festivals around the world, including Venice, Berlin, Locarno, San Sebastian, and Busan.
Shooney Films Nepal focuses on the production and promotion of independent and art house films from Nepal, and has produced several films, including The Flute (Min Bahadur Bham, 2012), premiered at Venice IFF 2012; The Black Hen (Min Bahadur Bham, 2015), Fedeora Award for Best Film winner at Venice International Film Critics’ Week 2015; The Golden Hill (Rajan Kathet, 2015), screened at Seattle IFF; short film Year of the Bird (Shenang Gyamjo Tamang, 2016), screened at BIFF 2016; A Curious Girl (Rajesh Prasad Khatri, 2017), winner of Special Prize of the Generation Kplus International Jury at Berlinale 2018; The Moon is Bright Tonight (Abinash Bikram Shah, 2017), screened at BIFF 2018; and KALAM (Prabin Kumar Rawat) screening at BIFF 2019. We are developing projects A Year of Cold (Min Bahadur Bham), Cannes’ Cinefondation Residence 2018, Torino Feature Lab 2019, BIFF’s ACF, APM 2017 Sørfond Award; The Cube Phantom (Alan Lau Kin Lun, postproduction); A Scarecrow (Rajesh Prasad Khatri, postproduction); Bone Trumpet (APM 2018, Cannes’ L′Atelier 2019); and Black and White Photo (Rajesh Prasad Khatri), BIFF’s ACF and APM 2019. |
|
Synopsis |
After the late arrival of the Final Examination Registration Forms from the capital city of Kathmandu, the headmaster of a remote mountain village school notifies the 10th graders that they must complete the forms in order to sit the upcoming examinations. Talented school boy, Jasu (14), embarks on a journey to acquire a pair of black and white passport-sized photos for his form. After his mother borrows money from the head of the village, Jasu is able to pay the photographer who came from the city for a day to shoot the photos, but his photo is taken late in the evening, and when the photos are distributed, all the students have their photos in hand except Jasu.
To meet the deadline, disappointed Jasu travels to the city; two full days’ walk. While crossing a large river on a traditional single rope (tuin), Jasu has an accident. Hospitalized, Jasu insists that his mother (40) allow him another photo shoot. Jasu finally gets his photos, but the completed forms have already been sent to meet the deadline. On the headmaster’s advice, Jasu′s mother travels to the capital in hopes of submitting her son’s form, while Jasu waits at home and studies.
Eventually, the exams start, but Jasu′s mother cannot register her son’s form at the bureaucratic city office. Jasu cannot bear the pain of being unable to take the examinations, and before his mother returns, he flees to India; destroying his dreams of higher education and a better life.
|
|
|
