Nepal –2014– Documentary – 50:33 min – Nepali/ English subtitles
Official Promo:
Director: Bhojraj Bhat
Producer: Good Neighbors Nepal
Camera: Prakash KC, Manoj Maharjan, Jeewan Shrestha
Editor: Bharat Mani Regmi
Script: Bhojraj Bhat
Concept Story: Bimal Singh Bist
Music: Rubin Shrestha (Kutumba)
Mugu in Western Nepal is one of the least developed regions in Nepal. According to the 2011 Nepal Census, 90% of women in Mugu are illiterate. Set against the harsh but beautiful backdrop of the region, Sunakali is an uplifting documentary of Mugu’s women’s soccer team and its journey to the national championship.
Previous Screenings/Awards:
SUNAKALI achievements
SUNAKALI, a documentary about a women’s soccer team from Mugu in Western Nepal and its journey to the national championship. This is a film about how a girl’s passion for football helps her pursue her dream and break free from the fate of most girls in her village.
SUNAKALI was screened as the World Premier and opening film of Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF). 2014-Dec,11-15.
- Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF)- 2014-Dec,11-15.
Award: ‘Best ICIMOD Mountain Film Award’, with received USD 1,000 - Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF)– 2014-Dec,11-15.
Award: ‘Best Documentary Jury Mention award’ - International Premier: Mountain Film Festival Domzale -2015, 23-27 Feb
Award: Jury award under nature and culture genre - Canada Premier: 6th Annual Toronto Nepali Film Festival (TNFF), 28 March
Award: Audience Choice Award, with received USD 1,000 - Pakistan International Mountain Film Festival (PIMFF), 13-14 June, 2015
Award: ‘Best Documentary Award‘ - Cinerockom International Film Festival, USA, 1-6 Sep, 2015
Award: ‘Best documentary diamond award’ - Berg Film Festival Tegernsee-Germany-21 Oct-25 Oct, 2015
First Prize(€ 1,000) in the category of ‘Mountain Life‘ - 33rd Milano International FICTS Fest, Italy-2015
GUIRLANDE D’HONNEUR, in the category of“MOVIES & TV FOOTBALL” - 33rd BBVA Mountain Film Festival of Torelló, Spain-2015
Best Film-MOUNTAIN WILDERNESS - 15th International Mountain Film Festival in Bansko, Bulgaria -2015
‘The Award of the Municipality of Bansko’ - Global Sport Media Pearl Awards, Abu Dhabi, UAE, 15 Dec, 2015
3 rd Place award received 5000 $ USD cash prize in the category of ‘Documentary’ - BILBAO MENDI FILM FESTIVAL, 2015 (10-20 Dec)
BEST NATURE & CULTURE FILM award - Mountain & Adventure Film Festival-2016- USA
1rst Runner up, Cultural Award - Thinking Football Film Festival 2016- Spain
“Best Documentary” - 7th FOOTBALL FILM FESTIVAL, Brazil
“Best Feature Documentary” - 2016 New Zealand Mountain Film Festival
“Special Jury Award”
Synopsis:
SUNAKALI, a documentary about a women’s soccer team from Mugu in Western Nepal and its journey to the national championship. This is a film about how a girl’s passion for football helps her pursue her dream and break free from the fate of most girls in her village.
Mugu in Western Nepal is one of the least developed regions in Nepal. According to the 2011 Nepal Census, 90% of women in Mugu are illiterate. Set against the harsh but beautiful backdrop of the region, Sunakali is an uplifting documentary of Mugu’s women’s soccer team and its journey to the national championship.
Sunakali Budha, a 13 year-old girl in the remote district of Mugu, saw football for the first time in 2011 and in less than three years time she has become a star in her village.
The girls were going against the conventions set for women and challenging the norms when they decided to represent their school in the district level football tournament and that was anything but easy. Even Mugu’s geography posed a challenge for the girls, as there was not a single field large enough where they could practice.
A friendly game against their neighbor Humla. Football was perhaps the last thing on their minds as they returned to their village and went about their daily lives. But fate wasn’t ready to give up on them and Team Mugu got the chance to participate in the national women’s football championship in Kailali.
Representing their district in a national tournament was not only a matter of pride but also a window to the world that lay beyond Mugu. The journey to Kailali proved to be the first of many. This was the first time they left Mugu, the first time they set foot on the plains of the Tarai, the first time they saw bullock carts, rickshaws, and airplanes among many other such firsts.
In Kailali, Team Mugu took to the game with a ferocity that was unmatched by any other team in the entire tournament. Sunkali’s consecutive goals in the matches took them to the semifinals and the finals where the girl in jersey number 12 showed the resilience of a player who just keeps getting better with every match and Team Mugu managed to lift the trophy.
Their triumph was celebrated with much aplomb in Mugu where the girls received a warm welcome upon their arrival at Talcha airport. The locals had arranged for horses for them: another first for the girls as it was unusual for women in Mugu to ride horses. People in all the villages along the way cheered for the girls, blessed them, and thanked them for making Mugu proud.
While most of the girls’ parents were elated, some were upset that Sunakali got so much attention that their girls’ contribution faded in comparison. But still there are many who vouch that had it not been forSunakali who showed great stamina and prowess in the field and scored crucial goals, Team Mugu might not have achieved this feat. The documentary Sunakali added to her soaring popularity especially after it won two awards at the concluded 12th edition of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF)- 2014-Dec,11-15.
SUNAKALI review by Nepalese & International online sites:
- http://en.mysansar.com/?p=260
- http://fittish.deadspin.com/this-is-why-its-called-the-beautiful-game-the-other-wo-1598633692
- https://globalvoicesonline.org/2014/07/21/sunakali-team-win-national-football-tournament/
- http://www.living.com.np/features/triumph-over-challenges
- http://glamournepal.net/tag/sunakali/#.VSPQDNyUf4U
- http://tnff.ca/news/sunakali-wins-audience-choice-award-6th-tnff
- http://www.headlinenewsnepal.com/glamour-nepal-sunakali-won-audience-choice-award-at-toronto-nepali-film-festival/
- http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2015-12-22/sunakali-continues-to-bag-intl-awards.html
- http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/public/news/qatar/360150/al-jazeera-festival-opens-to-unify-cultures-achieve-global-peace
- http://rdulal.blogspot.com/2014/12/sunakali-and-kimff.html
- http://fursadnepal.com/archives/1197
Slovenian Media review about SUNAKALI documentary during Mountain Film Festival Domzale (2015, 23-27 Feb)
- http://www.rtvslo.si/svet/ko-nogomet-premika-meje-sunakali-je-kot-messi/359072
- http://www.delo.si/nedelo/nepalske-nogometasice-odkrile-messija-v-sebi.html
- https://www.dnevnik.si/1042708214/magazin/aktualno/nepalski-messi-spreminja-percepcijo-zensk
(Note: You may search Google and will get many articles about SUNAKALI on web)
About Director:
Bhojrat Bhat is journalist based in Kathmandu and specializes in conflict mitigation, security and the Maoist insurgency. SUNAKALI is his debut film. He has partnered with several national and international organizations to prepare documentary films and news features.
He teamed up with Babel Press to produce a documentary movie on ‘bikini killer’ Charles Shobraj. He also joined hands with France 24 International News Channel to produce documentary film titled ‘Nepal: the last Maoists’. He worked for the news documentary ‘The convicts of the World Cup’ broadcast on France 2-Envoyé special and contributed to the report Worked to death in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup that was broadcast on France 24. Recently, his joint venture report: India – Nepal: a kidney at all costs (27 minutes)and Nepal: A week in the life of a lifeguard-24 Minutes (Earthquake Report) broadcasted in ARTE TV (FRANCE).
