The Taste of Coffee

The Taste of Coffee is an experience of life lived with coffee in the farm as witnessed by three artists who set out to capture the richness of home-grown coffee beans on their canvas, microphone and camera respectively. Three artists, Clara Puddu, Eloïse Calatayud and Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka, with diverse skills and passion in their respective fields of art have highlighted the uniqueness of this rich and aromatic crop through their paintings, sound design and photography through this exhibition.

However, The Taste of Coffee isn't just about coffee, it is about the people involved in the sowing and reaping of the crop. The exhibition tries to draw attention to the lives of people involved in coffee farming though the chores of Surya Prasad Adhikari and his wife Saraswoti Adhikari, who run a permaculture coffee farm in Lekhnath -10, Begnas of Kaski district, Nepal. The exhibition also highlights the couple's perception and contribution to conservation and improvements of local varieties of cultivation, organic farming and sustainable uses of local biological resources.

The Taste of Coffee is up in painting, sound and photography exhibition at Nepal Art Council Gallery, Babarmahal, Kathmandu 19th through 27th February 2011. The exhibition will be inaugurated by veteran photographer Mr. Hari Bangsha Kirant.

The exhibition has been organised by NEPALPHOTOGRAPHY.org with support from Galleria CUC and Momomagic.

Gaurav Dhwaj Khadka

photo.circle.xxx - 8.august.2009

This month we would like to share with you some of the outcomes of the Hajurama project including photos and text by our 15 participanting writers and photographers.

In addition to this, young photo student Prateek Rajbhandari will be presenting a collection of unique landscape collage work. And Umesh Shrestha will be presenting his brand new multimedia documentary on the underground death metal scene in Nepal.

Saturday, August 8th 2009
9:45 am
The Bakery Cafe, Sundhara

See you there!

KIMFF - The 6th Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival 2008

KIMFF, the only festival of its kind east of Suez, brings to Kathmandu Valley some of the most recent and exciting films about mountains, mountain environment, mountain cultures and communities from various corners of the world. KIMFF screens films produced during the last three years and features discussion forums, on-demand screenings, as well as exhibitions of books and photography celebrating mountains. The festival is organized with the conviction that human experiences in the world’s highlands, especially those in the developing countries, is worth documenting and sharing. KIMFF hopes not only to encourage a deeper understanding of the social and cultural realities of those regions but also to create a sense that the significance of those regions is often far-flung.

Rastriya Sabha Griha (City Hall) and Nepal Tourism Board
Exhibition Road, Kathmandu, Nepal


---------- RASTRIYA SABHA GRIHA (CITY HALL) ----------

THURSDAY, 11 DECEMBER

3:00 PM
The Day After Peace 82’
Dir. Jeremy Gilley | UK 2008
The story behind International Peace Day.

4:45 PM
Yudha Chitra (Frames of War) 40’
Dir. Prem BK and Kesang Tseten | Nepal 2008
Reflections on the price of war.

6:00 PM
Karma 90’
Dir. Tsering Rhitar Sherpa | Nepal 2007
Two nuns embark on an adventure.

FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Khoda 5’
Dir. Reza Dolatabadi | UK 2008
An animated psychological thriller

Jeeba Seema (Dead Yet Alive) 44’
Dir Sanjog Laaphaa Magar | Nepal 2008
Biopic on a Magar poet.

12:30 PM
Joseph Ki Macha (Joseph’s Son) 14’
Dir. Bobby Wahengbam | India 2007
A Manipuri couple search for their son.

Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya 26’
USA 2007
A Chechnyan village is ravaged by war.

2:00 PM
Dream… a mess of things 25’
Dir. Raghuwar Nepal | Nepal 2006
Nepalis discuss their dreams.

Hai Dupatta 30’
Dir. Tess Joseph | India 2006
Analysing the dupatta (stole).

3:30 PM
Raga of River Narmada 12’
Dir. Rajendra Janglay | India 2007
Classical music accompanies Narmada's flow.

Changa (Kite) 28’
Dir. Pooja Gurung | Nepal 2008
Father and son try to fly a kite.

5:00 PM
Translation Possible 11’
Dir. Susanne Horizon Fränzel | Germany 2007
Overcoming language barriers in Shanghai.

Malaamee (Funeral) 20’
Dir. Subarna Thapa | Nepal and France 2008
A surreal funeral.

6:00 PM
Die Legende von Shiva und Parvati (The Legend of Siva and Parvati) 85’
Dir. Krishna Saraswati | Germany 2008
A tale of a hippie-girl and an Indian ascetic.

SATURDAY, 13 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Mehendigong of Barisal at Estuary of Meghna 15'
Dir. Fuad Chowdhury | Bangladesh 2007/08
Monsoons play havoc in Bangladesh.

Beyul: Sacred Hidden Valleys of the Himalaya 30'
Dir. Tsering Rhitar Sherpa | Nepal 2008
Sherpas reflect on nature's bounty.

12:30 PM
Unity in Diversity 6'
Dir. Russ Pariseau | Nepal 2008
An inclusive Nepali women's team summits Everest.

The Eighth Summit 52'
Dir. Wayne Tindall | Australia 2005
An Australian climber's pursuit of Everest.

2:00 PM
Autumn in the Himalayas 60’
Dir. Malgorzata Skiba | India 2008
Buddhist nuns seek an education and enlightenment.

3:30 PM
i became... 6'
Dir. Arwa Mamaji | India 2006
A child is fascinated by a balloon.

Kathputali (The Angel of the Himalayas) 51'
Dir. Toshiaki Itoh | Nepal 2008
Modernity undermines tradition in Nepal’s hills.

5:00 PM
Petrol 12'
Dir. Jiban Bhattarai | Nepal 2008
Shortage of petrol fuels a crisis.

Chaukaith (Threshold) 31'
Dir. Deepak Rauniyar | Nepal 2008
A tale of two women.

6:15 PM
Awaken Eyes 28'
Dir. Binod Paudel | Nepal 2008
A couple conjugate their marriage, finally.

Irony 23'
Dir. Fidel Devkota | Nepal 2008
A twist in a young man's faith.

SUNDAY, 14 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Wa Quan (Living with Shame) 25'
Dir. Huaqing Jin | China 2008
Chinese waste metal collectors pay a huge price.

Apna Aloo Bazaar Becha - from subsistence ecology to the market 30'
Dir. Pankaj H. Gupta | India 2008
Globalisation arrives in a mountain village.

12:30 PM
Palash 20'
Dir. Sindhu Pokhrel | Nepal 2008
A physically-challenged seeks sexual fulfillment.

Sacred Mountains of the World 28'
Dir. Stipe Bozic | Croatia 2005
Philosophical reflections on mountain peaks.

2:00 PM
"Know Your Himal and Beyond" Quiz With Kunda Dixit

3:30 PM
Nonimi Gamana (Endless Journey) 10’
Dir. Henry Warnakulasuriya | Sri Lanka 2008
A poverty-stricken mother's dilemma.

TWISIN.....a reality not far away 35’
Dir. Prina Raj Joshi | Nepal 2008
A Newar farmer struggles against the odds.

4:45 PM
Cherub of the Mist 53’
Dir. Naresh Bedi | India 2006
Zoo-bred red pandas experience the wild.

6:00 PM
Vintuna (All the Best) 100’
Dir. Aaryem Nakami | Nepal 2008
A Newari couple's quandary.

MONDAY, 15 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Ghughuti Basuti (A Twinkle Behind A Closed Eye) 16’
Dir. Geetika Juyal | India 2007
A child wonders at a speck of dust.

Liu Fei De Shu Jia (Liu Fei's Summer Holidays) 15’
Dir. Huaqing Jin | China 2007
A Chinese schoolgirl makes the most of summer.

Playground 21’
Dir. Eve Spence | Australia 2006
A brief, tenuous friendship between boys from different backgrounds.

12:30 PM
Amma 6'
Dir. Aparna Kapur | Canada/India 2008
Grandma on my mind.

Full Cover Girl 52’
Dir. Folke Ryden | Sweden 2008
About Iraq's aspiring women politicians.

2:00 PM
Bergschau (Mountain Life) 10’
Dir. Gerhard und Fridolin Baur | Germany 2007
Alpine life in spectacular pictures.

Twin Trek 35’
Dir. June Chua | Canada/Norway 2007
Multi-ethnic twins uncover a family secret.

3:15 PM
Jawangka Jindagiharu (Lives of Jawang) 35’
Dir. Ramesh Khadka | Nepal 2008
Portrait of a Chepang village.

Rightful Place 16’
Kenya/USA 2008
A Kenyan community stake their claim to ancestral land.

4:45 PM
The Sari Soldiers 92’
Dir. Julie Bridgham | USA/Nepal 2008
Women on the frontline of Nepal's conflict.

---------- NEPAL TOURISM BOARD ----------

THURSDAY, 11 DECEMBER

4:00 PM
The Last Nomads 54’
Dir. Andrew Gregg | Canada 2008
In search of a lost people.

Die Hochzeitsreise (The Honeymoon) 15‘
Dir. Susanne Horizon Fränzel | Germany 2005
Love can move mountains.

5:30 PM
Chuan Yue Gao Yuan (Across the Plateau) 95’
Dir. Zhang Zeming and Paul Liu | China/ Australia 2007
Chinese cyclists take on a gruelling challenge.

FRIDAY, 12 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Red Velvet 58’
Dir. Klaus Reisinger and Frédérique Lengaigne | France 2006
Deer antlers are processed into Korean aphrodisiac.

12:30 PM
Burma's Open Road-An Insight into Myanmar 52’
Dir. David Adams | Australia 2007
Reconstruction of an ancient road impacts Burma's people and places.

2:00 PM
Red Gold 54’
Dir. Travis Rummel & Ben Knight | USA 2008
Alaskan fishermen vs. mining companies.

3:30 PM
Pustelnicy W Gorach (Pustelniks In The Mountain) 60’
Dir. Miroslaw Dembinski | Poland 2008
A father and his sons view life differently.

4:45PM
Jozef Juzek Psotka – Radest Zo Zivota (Jozef Juzek Psotka – Joy from Life) 26’
Dir. Pavol Barabáš | Slovakia 2008

Portrait of a Slovak mountaineer.
A Russian Wave 27’
Dir. Becky Bristow | Canada 2005
Exploring whitewater rapids in Russia.

6:00 PM
The Linguist 65’
Dir. Seth Kramer, Daniel A. Miller and Jeremy Newberger | USA/ Bolivia/India/Siberia 2007
Scientists race to document almost extinct languages.

SATURDAY, 13 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Les Nomades Du Cercle Polaire (Komi, A Journey Across The Artic) 52'
Dir. Andreas Voigt | France 2007
Reindeer herders embark on an arduous journey.

12:15 PM
Die Wetterpropheten (The Weather Prophets) 62'
Dir. Christoph Felder | Germany 2007
Weathering the odds in the Swiss Alps.

2:00 PM
Zed Kamenog Mora (The Thirst of a Stone Sea) 79’
Dir. Vladimir Perovic | Montenegro 2007
Awaiting the inevitable onslaught of globalisation.

3:45 PM
I Want My Father Back 70'
Dir. Suma Josson | India 2007
Why cotton is killing Indian farmers.

5:30 PM
China’s Stolen Children 88’
Dir. Jezza Neuman | UK 2007
Exposé on child kidnappings in China.

SUNDAY, 14 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Hjordeliv (Herdswoman) 58’
Dir. Kine Boman | Sweden/Sapmi (Lapland) 2008
Herding reindeer is not just a job.

12:30 PM
Pageant in Painted Scenes 59’
Dir. Merajur Rahman Baruah | India 2008
Mobile theatres in Assam fight the odds.

3:00 PM
Talk by Brigitte Muir
Touching the sky - A woman's journey from her land of factories to the top of the world.

4:30 PM
Aconcagua Speed Flying 6'
Dir. François Bon and Damien Dufresne | France 2008
Up and down a mountain, extreme style.

The Endless Knot 52'
Dir. Michael Brown | USA 2007
Fatal accident changes the course in a climber's life.

6:00 PM
Red Bull X-Alps 86’
Dir. Mario Kreuzer | Germany 2007
Highs and lows of a spectacular paragliding race.

MONDAY, 15 DECEMBER

11:00 AM
Talk by Nick Mason
An International Photographer's Experience.

12:30 PM
No Penguin’s Land 9’
Dir. Barelli Marcel | Switzerland 2008
A penguin's journey to the Swiss Alps.

The Skyrunner 30’
Dir. Niko Jäger | Germany 2008
Mountaineering at its most extreme.

1:30 PM
Des Hommes Sur La Montagne (The High Mountain Guides) 54'
Dir. Didier Hill-Derive | Belgium/France 2007
Becoming a professional guide.

3:00 PM
Talk by Ugyen Chopel
Reflections on my time in Bollywood and Kollywood.

photo.circle.xxii.SAT.oct 4

Happy Dasain!

This Saturday we are screening Born into Brothels, an award winning documentary feature by Ross Kauffman and Zana Briski. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, Born into Brothels is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta, where their mothers work as prostitutes. Zana Briski, a New York-based photographer, gives each of the children a camera and teaches them to look at the world with new eyes.

Join us on

Saturday, October 4th, 2008
9:45 am - 12 noon
@ The Bakery Café, Sundhara


See you on Saturday! Dont forget your pop corn!

*****

photo.circle.jun.xviii @ the bakery café, sundhara

We have a presentation of photographs from a group of 9 kids from dhankuta as prepared and presented by fullbright fellow scott sorrel. the kids photograph life as they see around them.

We also have two back to back presentations from burma- chronicling dire political and social needs before and after cyclone nargis.

Last but not the least we have an animation piece prepared by firefly studios titled "Afai Lai Biswas Garena Bhanay"

please join us

SATURDAY, June 7th 2008
5:45 PM (yes in the evening!)
@ The Bakery Cafe, Sundhara

Hope you can make it!


*****

photo.circle.xvi @ the bakery café, sundhara

We wanted to change things up a bit so this month we have a film we would like to share with you.

"Nine Days in the Kingdom" is a documentary film about 55 of the world's great photographers.

How does a photographer capture that decisive moment, find the best light and interact with his or her subjects?

To provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at the world's top photographers at work, Editions Didier Millet has teamed up with two production houses to create multiple documentaries about the 9 Days adventure.

Hopping planes, trains and boats, film crews from Bangkok-based MCOT and Paris-based NGM Production were on-hand throughout Shoot Week to capture the action. Audiences will travel with the photographers to remote locations throughout Thailand, gaining insight into both the craft of photography and the diverse culture of this modern Kingdom.

Thailand: 9 Days in the Kingdom showcases the work of 55 of the worlds leading international photographers including several from Thailand. These photographers represent an international group of talents with a range of specialties; photojournalism, wildlife, underwater, aerial, landscape, portraits, architecture and more. Taken over a period of 9 days, the images captured by these world-class photographers stand as testimony to an exciting and evolving period in Thai history.

Join us for this exciting film on:

SATURDAY, April 5th 2008
9:45 am – 12 noon
@ The Bakery Café, Sundhara

Also, this month we would like to discuss a possible group exhibition to take to Chobi Mela V in Dhaka later this year in November. The theme set for this year is FREEDOM. If you are interested in participating in this group exhibition or in Chobi Mela in general, do show up or contact us via phone or email. More information about the festival and submission details online at www.chobimela.org.

*****

Photo Competition on Peace building and Reconciliation

photo.circle.xi @ the bakery café, sundhara

This month at photo.circle we have:

A selection of photographs from Beldangi I, one of the seven Bhutanese Refugee camps in Jhapa and Morang. all photographs were taken by camp residents and are an unadulterated representation of daily camp life from the eyes of insiders. we will have representatives of Third World Media- one of the organizers of the photojournalism workshop that resulted in these photographs.

we also have Eviction, a short film by Grady Walker that talks about Lhotshampa refugees in legal limbo

please join us this;

SATURDAY, November 3rd 2007
9:45 am
@ the bakery café, sundhara

*****

events.bn organises these monthly picture gatherings to share photo work and give/ receive feedback. we hope to have editorial and layout representation to make things more interactive. students, artists, storytellers, visual scientists and photo enthusiasts from all walks of life are welcome!

Film South Asia'07

Be here 2morrow.

Experiencing Baraka

Experiencing Baraka
Originally uploaded by Nepal Photography.

By: Xeno Acharya
It does not take a genius to figure out we live in a beautiful world. The mighty Himalaya is a nice example of that. In cold winter mornings when the first rays of warmth flood the streets of Bhaktapur, heavenly beauty spreads over Kathmandu valley. Beauty that lies in the flames of burning butter candles in a monastery in Tibet. The silence of a Japanese garden talks about the peace that could have been. The womb of the massive volcanoes gives one a glimpse of nature’s might. The colorful lives of the aborigines in Africa, the Niagara Falls, the energy in the devotees in Jakarta all sing the tales of nature’s glory.

When the first Spanish invaders fell the mighty Brazil nut trees of the Amazon, thousands of dreams fell and shattered with it. Ugly buildings sprouted up like wild mushrooms, and people invaded the majestic hills and forests like vermin. Now the children of men linger in places where only the daring beasts once roamed. Factories buzz with low paid slaves, and the lives of men are reduced to a slow mechanical beat- click, ping, thump…click, ping, thump…click, ping.
The noise fades away, and silence. Human beings are the products of a technological advancement, clean healthy and almost perfect organisms manufactured to propagate and rule. The defective ones don’t make it out of the factory because it is hard to survive in this cut-throat world. And when the mind no longer can tolerate the growing pressure of this technocratic society, mass murders, suicide bombings and blind shootings result. To satisfy the thirst of an unhealthy soul hungry for love, we fall from the heights of humanity and succumb to mere pleasures of the flesh. War, the major outcome of this struggle for power and dignity has been in human history for centuries. Only we used to fight with stones and clubs, now we do with fighter planes and tanks and land mines. We used to fight for women and territory. Now we do for oil and money. We fuel the burning fire inside us with rage, hatred and the never ending desire for something more, better, bigger. And yet, in the dark corners of the world like Nepal and the South East Asia, people struggle each day for their subsistence. We are a hardy race.

Life has lost its color, dreams have no meaning and dragging is all we do with our lives. Dragging, a slow, dreaded inevitable and heavy dragging. And death seems just like yet another stop. So we run, we run for our lives, we run away from people around us, we run from ourselves. We run for the preservation of something that we dearly love, we run for life. But is life just this running, or is it something more?
Come find out this Saturday at St. Xavier’s Campus.

Project Baraka Details:

Film duration 96 min
Show dates May 19, 2007 Saturday
May 26, 2007 Saturday
Show times 2:00 pm and 4:00 pm
Ticket prices Student Rs. 50/- (with ID)
Regular Rs. 100/-
Venue St. Xavier’s Campus, Maitighar, Kathmandu, Nepal