Nepalese Filmmakers Pooja Gurung & Bibhusan Basnet Selected as Future Greats 2024

Filmmakers Pooja Gurung and Bibhusan Basnet, based in Kathmandu, have been honored as Future Greats 2024 by photographer Sohrab Hura. Their joint work delves into magic and storytelling, often eschewing conventional narratives. In their 2020 short film 'The Big Headed Boy, Shamans and Samurais,' they recount their quest for a child actor in Western Nepal, leading them to a village they refer to as 'Kurosawa's village' and a boy named Ghantuake, who claims to possess eyes on the back of his head. This film earned a nomination for Best Documentary Short Film at the Guanajuato International Film Festival in 2021. Additionally, their 2016 piece 'Dadyaa: The Woodpeckers of Rotha' captures the Jumla village's tradition of crafting wooden masks to honor deceased residents. Their films frequently tackle political issues, such as the effects of economic migration on rural areas and critiques of 'bourgeois' filmmaking. Gurung and Basnet weave local folklore into their narratives while remaining cognizant of global contexts, fostering interconnected stories that invite diverse interpretations. Their method encourages audiences to seek personal significance, leaving some questions open-ended. They are part of a collective of artists, including Maryam Tafakory, Payal Kapadia, Subash Thebe Limbu, Rajee Samarasinghe, and Suneil Sanzgiri, who uphold integrity in their artistic endeavors and societal engagement.