BIRU NEPALI, KATHMANDU: Film Director Guild of Nepal (FDGN) and Enhancing Access to Justice through Institutional Reforms Project (A2J), a joint undertaking of the Ministry of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs (MOLJPA) and UNDP have announced a short-film competition to fight against caste-based discrimination in the society.
The organizers have invited everyone to submit their short films of maximum three minutes within December 10. They have expected that the videos would help raise awareness and understanding around the issue of caste discrimination and also improve the implementation of relevant laws in Nepal.
Caste-based discrimination is the discriminatory behavior perpetuated on so-called lower caste groups on the basis of so-called caste hierarchy, which leads to untouchability, oppression, prohibition, exclusion, and exploitation.
Section 4 of the caste-based Discrimination and Untouchability Act 2011 has prohibited caste-based discrimination and provides for the punishment for committing prohibited activities.
In the context of Nepal, where multiple forms of discrimination are still a day-to-day reality, the call for videos is expected to encourage the general public to delve deeper into the issue, build greater awareness and understanding and also quiz a wide array of people from across the country on how the social ill could be better tackled.
According to UNDP’s notice, the competition is open to all and the video can also be shot by mobile. “The video should either be in Nepali, with English subtitles, or English, with Nepali subtitles or in local languages, with either Nepali or English subtitles,” states the guidelines for the short film issued by UNDP. “But the video content should not promote communal enmity, blaming and shaming of certain groups or communities.”
There will be a total of three winners in this competition – first place, second place and third place with a cash prize of Rs. 200,000, Rs. 150,000 and Rs. 50,000 respectively.
The winning videos will be featured on social media of UNDP and Film Director Guild of Nepal.
