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An introduction of the ongoing Maoist revolution in Nepal, followed by a screening of the highly acclaimed documentary The Killing Terraces, will be presented 8 p.m. today in the Van Wickle Hall auditorium (room 108).
Sponsored by International Students Association, the event is free and open to the public.
Dhiraj Sharma, a sophomore economics and business major from Kathmandu, Nepal, will give a brief introduction to the history of Nepal and how the Maoist revolution started. Praveen Chaudhry, visiting assistant professor of government and law, will talk about conflict resolution in general.
“The purpose of this presentation is to make people aware of this neglected issue, which is threatening Nepal with a full-fledged civil war in the very near future,” says Sharma, adding that he has made extensive preparations for his Powerpoint presentation.
In early 2001, filmmaker Dhurba Basnet accompanied a group of journalists on a journey to Rolpa, Rukum, and Jajarkot, three districts in far-western Nepal that make up the stronghold of the Maoists. Using footage shot over 26 days in the tough mountainous terrain of the region, the film attempts to understand the causes underlying the rise of the Maoists and its effect on the local population.
The Killing Terraces focuses largely on the victims of Maoist insurgency, which has spread throughout the country to become the foremost challenge facing the state. It also depicts that the ongoing turmoil of the “people’s war” was the creation of the government’s action.
The documentary, which was screened at the inaugural Film South Asia 2001, captures the cold fury of a young boy, no more than 10 or 12 years old. Orphaned by a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 2,000 Nepali civilians over the last five years, the boy seethes with rage, and says to the camera that he wants to “tear the heart out’” of the policemen who killed his parents. The film shows pro-Maoists and their families’ openly criticizing and blaming the police, the government, and eventually the law of the nation for social, economic, and psychological deprivation.
Basnet began filmmaking as a cameraman with Nepal Television in June 1985, and began freelancing in 1993. He has served as a cameraman for various international broadcasting agencies. The Killing Terraces is his first independent documentary.