來自 TIDF YouTube 頻道的 Rajan Kathet 紀錄片《巡冬沒有假期》截圖

以尼泊爾這個地處喜瑪拉雅山麓的國家來說，劇情片在當地的發展算是相當蓬勃，但紀錄片可就相對小眾、鮮為人知了。在尼泊爾，屬於紀錄片的影展屈指可數；而聚焦於山間生活和高山探險、也關心氣候變遷與偏鄉議題的加德滿都國際高山電影節（Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival，簡稱 Kimff），就是其中一個。在 2024 年的影展期間，他們便放映了來自十幾個國家、超過 20 部的電影。

但在一年一度的影展之外，這些尼泊爾紀錄片工作者平時的生活又是如何呢？為了深入了解這一小群電影人所面臨到的挑戰與喜悅，全球之聲對 Rajan Kathet 進行了採訪──這位加德滿電影工作者的作品橫跨劇情片與紀錄片，也曾經參與過歐洲的 DOCNOMADS 碩士學程、柏林影展人才計畫及 Global Media Makers 等交流計畫。

本次的訪談是在加德滿都的面談過後，透過電子郵件完成的。

Rajan Khatet：本照片經授權使用

Filip Noubel（FN）：在尼泊爾，紀錄片工作者會面臨到的挑戰主要會有哪些？

Rajan Kathet (RK): The primary challenges for documentary filmmakers in Nepal are funding and market access. The overwhelming majority of films produced in Nepal are fiction, with nearly all financiers, distributors, and producers focused solely on this genre. State support is virtually nonexistent, and there are almost no venues to screen documentaries domestically, pushing filmmakers to seek opportunities abroad. While charity screenings or limited runs in theaters do occur, they rarely ensure financial returns and often serve more as symbolic gestures than viable income sources. Nepali television channels do not typically purchase documentaries, unlike their counterparts abroad. To have a documentary broadcast on Nepali TV, filmmakers often need to buy airtime or find commercial sponsors to cover the costs. Consequently, initiating and completing a documentary in Nepal is a formidable task, often requiring collaboration with international producers to access grants from Europe or America.

Rajan Kathet (RK)：對於我們這些紀錄片工作者來說，最大的挑戰就是如何取得資金、如何打入市場。因為尼泊爾絕大多數的電影都是劇情片，所以幾乎所有的金主、發行商和製片人也只會關注這個類型的電影。來自政府的支援基本上是沒有，你在尼泊爾也幾乎找不到願意放映這些紀錄片的地方，以致於紀錄片工作者也只好轉往國外去尋求發展。慈善放映會或者電影院的小規模放映偶爾還是會有，但不太能為我們帶來穩定的經濟回報；與其要說這些是穩定的收入來源，不如說還算有點象徵意義吧。和國外相比，這裡的電視台也不大會購買紀錄片；如果我們希望自己的紀錄片能在電視上播出，往往就得自掏腰包購買時段，或者去拉廣告來支應相關費用。所以說，在尼泊爾，要把一部紀錄片從無到有製作完成，真的是艱鉅的挑戰；要沒有歐美等國外資金的配合，通常是辦不到的。

FN：那以亞洲來講，有什麼地方或者影展是可以讓你放映作品、和同行交流的嗎？

RK: For the past two decades, South Korea has been a prime destination for Nepali filmmakers seeking grant support and prestigious premieres, whether Asian or World. The Busan International Film Festival stands out as a top priority, especially for fiction filmmakers, due to its rich array of market forums and workshops aimed at nurturing Asian talent. In recent years, however, Nepali filmmakers have expanded their reach to other Asian festivals in Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Singapore, and beyond. My first feature documentary, “No Winter Holidays”, received financial support from DMZ Docs in South Korea, where it also had its Asian premiere. The film enjoyed a successful run across major Indian festivals like Dharamshala IFF, MIFF Mumbai, Kolkata IFF, and Kolkata People's Film Festival, and was recently showcased at the Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival  (TIDF) and the Golden Apricot International Film Festival in Armenia.

RK：在過去的二十年裡，南韓已經成了尼泊爾電影工作者找尋資金和放映機會的首選──不管是以亞洲或者全世界來講。以劇情片來說，釜山國際電影節是首選中的首選──它不但為電影人提供了許多曝光、交流的機會，也栽培了不少亞洲的後起之秀。不過近年來，尼泊爾的電影工作者也把觸角延伸到了亞洲的其他地方──你在日本、香港、台灣、印度、新加坡等地的影展，都可以看到他們的蹤影。我第一部紀錄長片《巡冬沒有假期 》的資金就是從南韓的 DMZ 國際影展來的，也在那裡舉辦了亞洲首映；它在印度達蘭薩拉、孟買、加爾各答等地的幾個主要影展都得到不錯的迴響，最近也獲選在台灣的國際紀錄片影展及亞美尼亞的金杏國際電影節進行了放映。

《巡冬沒有假期 》 曾在 2023 年 12 月的尼泊爾國際人權影展奪得了最佳紀錄片的獎項；它描繪出了尼泊爾兩名〔冬季〕留守的鄉下寡婦，因為自身的性別、種姓及社會地位，在傳統眼光之下所面臨到的各種歧視。以下是這部紀錄片的預告片段：

FN：你也和來自台灣的團隊合作拍攝過紀錄片。對你來說，那是怎樣的經驗？

RK: After the COVID-19 pandemic, I coordinated the Nepal production of the Taiwanese feature documentary ‘After the Snowmelt’ ( 雪水消融的季節), directed by Lo Yishan (羅苡珊). This personal documentary follows Yishan as she retraces the final journey of her friend, who tragically lost her life in a weather-related incident in Nepal. Due to travel restrictions, the director and her team could only manage the second of the two scheduled filming trips to Nepal. For the first schedule, immediately after the pandemic, my team at Salpa Films and I handled all the filming. During the second schedule, I primarily assisted Yishan's team with logistics, permits, and other essential support. The film premiered at Visions du Réel festival in April 2024 and is now traveling around the film festivals.

RK：疫情過後，我和來自台灣的羅苡珊導演合作，負責《雪水消融的季節》這部紀錄長片在尼泊爾的拍攝調度。苡珊導演有個朋友，因為氣候因素在尼泊爾不幸喪生；這部片子紀錄的就是苡珊導演踏上朋友的足跡、試圖還原朋友生命中最後時刻的心路歷程。因為疫情期間的旅遊限制，苡珊導演和他的團隊沒有辦法來到尼泊爾參與第一次的拍攝行程，所以這次的拍攝就由我和我在 Salpa 的製作團隊全權負責；在第二次的拍攝行程中，我擔任的就比較是協助的角色，幫忙苡珊導演的團隊處理一些後勤補給、登記許可之類的行政工作。2024 年四月的時候，這部紀錄片在瑞士的真實影展進行了首映；目前正在各大影展進行巡迴放映。

FN：你目前手頭上有哪些拍攝計畫？你認為你個人的職業生涯又會往哪個方向發展？

RK: I'm currently involved in several projects. I'm writing a short fiction film working-titled ‘Oxygen’, which explores the father-son relationship in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, I'm researching and developing a feature documentary focused on caste-based social discrimination in Nepal, a project that was presented at the Doc Station of Berlinale Talents and Docedge Kolkata earlier this year. I'm also working on a concept for a TV documentary in collaboration with an Indian filmmaker, whom I supported as a Nepal producer for his TV docu-series ‘A Himalayan Endgame’, which is now in post-production.

In the past, sustaining a career in filmmaking has been challenging, but in recent years, I've found a more stable path. Connecting with international filmmakers has led to various collaborations, which have helped me secure work and, in turn, allowed me to develop my projects with less financial strain. In the next few years, I see myself distributing my second feature-length documentary while seeking funding for my feature fiction film.

RK：我手上現在有幾個不同的計畫：我正在寫一部叫做《氧氣》（暫定）的短片，主要探討的是疫情後的父子關係；與此同時，我也在為一部紀錄長片進行籌備和研究──我今年稍早才在柏林影展人才計畫和加爾各答亞洲紀錄片論壇上分享過這個計畫，它要探討的是尼泊爾種性制度之下的社會歧視。另外，我也在協助一位來自印度的電影工作者，為一部叫做《A Himalayan Endgame》（決戰喜瑪拉雅）的電視紀錄片進行構思，擔任尼泊爾方面的製作人──現在這部紀錄片已經進入後製階段了。

在過去，作為電影工作者要生存下來確實不大容易；但這幾年下來，我也找到了比較穩定的工作方式──多和國際電影工作者進行合作可以為我們帶來許多機會，這不但讓我的工作比較穩定，也讓我可以在資金壓力比較小的狀況之下，好好地去籌備拍攝計畫。往後幾年之內，我希望可以推出我的第二部紀錄長片，同時為我籌備中的劇情片尋求資金。

RK: ‘No Winter Holidays’ (Dhorpatan in Nepali) was first screened in Nepal at the Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival 2023, where it won the Best Film of the Festival award. Following the festival, as the film gained international recognition through a successful festival run and numerous awards, we decided to host a theatrical screening in Kathmandu. Originally planned for one week, with one screening per day at a single theater, the response exceeded our expectations. Thanks to strong audience support and media coverage, the screening extended to a full month—an impressive feat for documentaries in Nepal, where audiences are not accustomed to watching documentaries outside a handful of film festivals. Most documentaries in Nepal tend to be corporate, INGO, or awareness-raising films, so our film offered a refreshing change. Despite minimal promotional efforts, strong word of mouth and positive media reviews helped sustain the screenings for an entire month.

RK：《巡冬沒有假期 》首次在尼泊爾上映，是在 2023 年的尼泊爾國際人權影展──它在那次的影展得到了最佳紀錄片的獎項；影展之後，隨著這部電影逐漸得到國際的關注、也贏得了更多的獎項，我們決定在加德滿都的一家戲院讓它重新上映。我們本來只規劃了一週的檔期、一天一場，但觀眾的反響超乎了我們的預期──因為觀眾的大力支持以及媒體的廣泛報導，原先不過一週的檔期最後變成了一個月。這在尼泊爾的紀錄片來說，算是罕見的成功，因為觀眾在影展之外，並沒有觀看紀錄片的習慣；但話說回來，尼泊爾多數的紀錄片要不出自企業、國際非政府組織之手，要不就是一些宣導影片，所以我們的片子算是相當令人耳目一新。儘管我們並沒有做太多的宣傳，但靠著觀眾的口碑、正面的影評，我們的片子還是整整在戲院上映了一個月之久。

RK: While many films have been made about rural areas in Nepal, the country’s geography extends far beyond the regions typically portrayed in media and cinema. Most films depicting rural life tend to focus on areas that are easily accessible from Kathmandu, or popular tourist destinations. However, there are remote corners of Nepal where the state, media, and filmmakers have largely failed to reach. As a result, the depiction of rural life in Nepali films has become a narrow caricature, often repeating what pioneering filmmakers initially established, without exploring the true diversity, nuances and complexity of these regions.

RK：雖然在尼泊爾，以鄉村為題材的電影是不少，但這個國家還有許多你在一般的媒體和電影裡面看不到的地方。你在大部分電影裡面所看到的「鄉村」，描繪的不是加德滿都的鄰近地區，就是熱門的旅遊景點；但在尼泊爾，其實還有很多連政府、媒體、電影工作者都鮮少踏足的偏遠地區。到頭來，尼泊爾電影中所呈現出來的「鄉村」，多半都侷限在了一種關於「鄉村」的刻板印象裡；〔多數人〕只是不斷複製前人的套路，根本沒有好好去探索這片土地，好好去認識它的豐富多變以及細緻風貌。