Part 1/3 of the KONTEKST & CVA PUBLIC PROGRAMME - AUTUMN 2025:

Voices Across Borders: Stories of Nepali Identity, Resistance, and Reclaimed Narratives

Film screening & conversation with Anusha Thulung Rai, Sabhyata Garbuja Pun, Aditya Pokharel and Sapana Sanjeevani

Programmed by Arti Siudem

Opening our autumn seminar series, two Nepali collectives meet across borders: the London-based Rodhighar Collective (Anusha Thulung Rai and Sabhyata Pun) and Kathmandu’s Sadak, Satta Sidhhanta Collective (Aditya Pokharel and Sapana Sanjeevani). In response to Nepal’s recent political unrest, we will screen two short films highlighting Nepali voices resisting marginalisation, followed by a Q&A and an open discussion with the filmmakers on visual media as a tool for Indigenous and Adiwasi activism today.

FILM SCREENINGS:

1. Lest We Forget: Chameli Devi Das by Aditya Pokharel and Sapana Sanjeevani – The film was made as part of ‘Sadak, Satta, Sidhhanta (SSS)’ – an initiative to document women in politics and nation building in Nepal. It documents the ongoing political work and historical role of Chameli Devi Das, a Nepali female politician from Dalit community, and records how marginalized communities pursue representation and justice.

2. 27 Ghanta: Echoes of a Nation by Anusha Thulung Rai – The film will focus on how both Nepali youths in Nepal and diaspora are both present in political life. Content warning: depictions of gun violence, police brutality, and protest-related violence.