Nepal’s ‘Bhunte’ Examines Themes of Soccer and Poverty – HAF

variety.com:

Naman Ramachandran Nepal’s “Bhunte” marks the feature debut of Bikas Neupane, who previously directed two acclaimed shorts.

The project has been selected for the 21st Hong Kong — Asia Film Financing Forum (HAF), the project market that operates concurrently with FilMart (March 13-16).

The film will follow 12-year-old Bhunte, who lives with his poor father and mother in a small village called Khahare, located in Nepal’s western plains.

He has an obsession with soccer, despite his asthma-stricken father’s objection. One day at school, Bhunte vows to buy a soccer ball of his own when his classmates don’t let him play with them. “The story of ‘Bhunte’ was written with the village of Gaughat in mind, where my parents migrated from the hills and where I was born and raised by my grandparents.