Film Title: BLOCKADE

Director: Shyam Karki

Year: 2016

Duration: 47 minutes

Synopsis: Unhappy with the provisions of Nepal’s first republican constitution, drafted by the people’s representatives in September 2015, Madhesh-based parties representing the southern plains declared that, as a pressure tactic, they would block trade entry points with India. This resulted in an acute shortage of cooking gas and other petroleum products. For six months, long lines formed at cooking gas depots, petrol stations, and even firewood sale centers. This fly-on-the-wall film captures the frustration, anger, stoicism, humor, and humanity of the people of Kathmandu as they faced the Blockade.

Director’s Bio: Shyam Karki has over a decade of experience in the audio-visual field. Besides Nepal, he worked for a filmmaking company in Saudi Arabia. “Blockade” is his second directorial venture and his first feature-length documentary after the hugely popular short film “The Experience (u ayo ayo)” on Nepal’s April 2015 earthquake. He made “Blockade” while working as an assistant director on two other films. His daughter, Sanaya, was born during the blockade, and he had to pay almost double for everything.

Credits:

• Director/Writer: Shyam Karki
• Producer: Samson Film Production
• Camera: Shyam Karki
• Editing: Kesang Tseten, Shyam Karki
• Sound: Shyam Karki
• Sound Design: Sukanta Majumdar
• Color Grading: Kapil Parajuli (ValleyFX)