Kathmandu Monsoon

NOMINEE – Best Experimental Short

A fascinating and hypnotic ethnographic study of the filmmaker’s hometown, punctuated by the evolution of the approaching storm. Providing a commentary on climate change, as well as how life staggeringly must go on, even as the rain pours and the streets flood, the film is not only a portrait of place, but also of the resilience of people.​

Directed by Ngima Gelu Sherpa

Director’s Bio: Born in the Everest region of Nepal, Ngima Gelu Sherpa is a street photographer turned an independent filmmaker and educator based in Kathmandu. He has taken on multiple roles, including Writer, Director, Producer, Cinematographer, and Editor, for his films showcased at various festivals such as Oberhausen, DMZ Docs, New Orleans, Bengaluru, and Reykjavík. He holds an MA in fiction film direction from the Kino Eyes: The European Movie Masters program (2018 – 2020), which involved experiences in Lisbon, Edinburgh, and Tallinn, and for which he received a full Erasmus plus scholarship. He is also an alumnus of Rotterdam Lab, Berlinale Talents, and Kathmandu University.

Plays in

Home as Character

The scent of your neighbor’s garden, the hustle and bustle of people flowing in and out of the bodega down the block, the laughter of children playing silly games in the street – home is more than just a setting. It’s the people, the places, the history, the memories, and the way they all come together. These short films all depict a home that can be described as a character in and of itself. From the quiet resilience of a city in “Kathmandu Monsoon” to the smoldering generational anger of Hawaiʻi in “Inheritance,” these films depict a home that holds as much weight and depth as the people that inhabit it.