Nepal’s Asian Cinema Fund-Winning Busan APM Project ‘Where The Rivers Run South’ Tackles Themes of Migrant Labor, Patriarchy

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran “Where the Rivers Run South,” the Nepalese project at the Busan International Film Festival‘s Asian Project Market, has received support from the Asian Cinema Fund’s script development pool.

The film, which aims to tackle head on two timely issues in Nepal today – migrant labor and patriarchy – marks the feature directorial debut of Suraj Poudel, who previously served as editor on Cannes-winning 2022 short “Lori.” Poudel is an alumnus of Busan’s Asian Film Academy, where he won the Chanel X award for most promising filmmaker award in 2022. “The film delves into the lives of migrant laborers, highlighting the struggles and sacrifices they endure.

It offers a glimpse into how Nepali society copes with the absence of a whole generation of its youth, provoking audiences to contemplate the direction in which society is evolving,” Poudel told Variety. “Through the intertwining stories of two generations, two genders, two ideologies, the film explores the intricate dynamics of a society in transition.

It poses a poignant question, if a daughter will ever get the place of a son in the eyes of a patriarch.” “In essence, the film encourages introspection about the societal choices being made and their implications.