SATV 21 April, Kathmandu: A proverb in Gurung language literally says that ‘if scriptures are lost, values are lost, if values are lost, culture is lost, and if culture is lost, human existence itself is lost.’
Most of the films based on the Gurung community are generally created as per the essence of this saying.
To make the films more appealing and to capture the attention of the audience, they often revolve around themes of love and romance.
However, filmmakers said that the Gurung films have been largely confined to charity screenings due to their small market, the reluctance of distributors to take on films made by a specific ethnic group, producers' inability to take financial risks, and a lack of quality content.
This is a bitter reality, said Maotse Gurung, actor and the founding president of the Gurung Film Association Nepal (GFAN).
Gurung said that films should not remain confined to charity alone, and efforts were being made to find alternatives.
“Our goal has always been to bring linguistic films to the general Nepali cinema halls, just like mainstream Nepali films. Even this year, we couldn’t make it to the cinema halls and had to stick to local charity screenings. Yet, some efforts are still ongoing,” he said.
He further added that six to sev Gurung films have been screened regularly in movie theatres in the past.
With the slogan ‘Let’s support by going to the cinema halls, not just by buying tickets at the door’, a regular screening campaign for Gurung films was launched in 2021 at Midtown Cinema in Pokhara.
It began with the screening of the Gurung film ‘Krma Kya, followed by six films in total, including Rije Nasa, Shirsuba, Syu Ru, Tamusyo, and Saban Mu.
“We had started with the intention of expanding the market for Gurung cinema, but the second lockdown interrupted our momentum,” he added.
He also added that some films were screened regularly for up to 14 days during that period.
Boje Bahadur Gurung, the outgoing president of GFAN, admitted that they were unable to uplift linguistic cinema. He acknowledged that there has been no significant progress in the Gurung cinema.
“Even if cinema owners ask for our films, we haven’t been able to offer them quality productions. For the past 27 years, we have been stuck on the same kind of stories. There has been no innovation. However, discussions, meetings, and workshops are taking place on how to bring Gurung cinema to the general public,” he added.
The first Tamu film, Pate (Myli), was made in 1995. According to Gurung, over 190 films have now been registered with the Nepal Film Development Board.
“Even after producing so many films, we are not able to promote the market. We are still dependent on charity shows and pushing tickets manually. There are not many technically trained or professionally educated individuals in this field. Most of it is based on pure passion, and through experience, we have reached this point. So, it’s only natural that the quality has not reached the desired standards,” he added.
