SAKSHI RUKH
THE WITNESS TREE
Niranjan Raj Bhetwal / Nepal, United States / 2023 / 14 min / Colour
On the eve of his coming of age ceremony, Shreedhar discovers the secret of his father's death, who hanged himself from a tree. His mother Sabitri is forced to make a choice: confirm the painful truth to her son or protect him from the suffering of the past. She decides to take him to an isolated convent in the mountains, where she hopes the monks can help him find peace. Unable to accept this silence, the boy runs away. He reaches a Tibetan bridge, where he will find his mother with whom he will choose to close with the past and move forward. Director Niranjan Raj Bhetwal, already recognised for The Eternal Melody (FFDL 2023), returns to Lessinia with a touching story set in a mountain landscape that becomes a silent witness to past events. With a delicate use of light and color, the director delves into complex themes such as suicide and the transition to adulthood.
Niranjan Raj Bhetwal
He is a nepalese director and lives in Kathmandu. He graduated in screenwriting and directing in 2013 from the Oscar International College. His short film Kafal Pakyo (2014) has been screened at many festivals including the Denver Film Festival, winning numerous awards. In 2018 he shot Smoke Through a Spider Web (2018), obtaining critical acclaim. He participated in the Berlinale Talents Campus 2021. Indreni pari (2022) is his first feature film and Anhad, was selected at the IFFR 2022.
Credits
Screenplay Niranjan Raj BhetwalCinematography Sharad MahatoSound Kishore AcharyaEditing Sandeep ShresthaMain cast Ganesh Prasad Chaulagain, Aditya Ghimire, Sonica Shahi ThakuriProduction company Simal Cinema (Nawa Nidhi Dahal)
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