White Sun or Seto Surya is a 2016 biographical war drama film directed by Deepak Rauniyar and co-written by Rauniyar, David Barker. It stars Dayahang Rai and Rabindra Singh Baniya in the lead roles alongside Asha Magrati, Sumi Malla, Amrit Pariyar, Deepak Chetri and Deshbhakta Khanal. The film is based on Nepalese Civil War's conflict between royalists and Maoists.[1]
| White Sun | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| सेतो सुर्य | |
| Directed by | Deepak Rauniyar |
| Written by | Deepak Rauniyar David Barker |
| Produced by | Deepak Rauniyar Joslyn Barnes Tsering Rhitar Sherpa Michel Merkt |
| Starring | Dayahang Rai Rabindra Singh Baniya |
| Cinematography | Mark Ó'Fearghail |
| Edited by | David Barker |
| Music by | Vivek Maddala |
Release date |
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Running time | 89 minutes |
| Countries | Nepal Netherlands Qatar United States |
| Language | Nepali |
It world premiered in the Horizons section at the 73rd edition of the Venice Film Festival.[2] It was later screened at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival.[3] It was selected as the Nepali entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.[4]
Plot
When his father dies, anti-regime partisan Chandra must travel to his remote mountain village after nearly a decade away. Little Pooja is anxiously awaiting the man she thinks is her father, but she's confused when Chandra arrives with Badri, a young street orphan rumored to be his son. Chandra must face his brother Suraj, who was on the opposing side during the Nepali civil war. The two brothers cannot put aside political feelings while carrying their father's body down the steep mountain path to the river for cremation. Suraj storms off in a rage, leaving Chandra with no other men strong enough to help. Under pressure from the village elders, Chandra must seek help from outside the village to obey the rigid caste and discriminatory gender traditions he fought to eliminate during the war. Chandra searches for a solution in neighboring villages, among the police, guests at a local wedding, and rebel guerrillas...
Cast
- Ganesh Neupane (Munal) as Kaaji
- Dayahang Rai as Agni / Chandra
- Asha Magrati as Durga
- Rabindra Singh Baniya as Suraj
- Sumi Malla as Pooja
- Amrit Pariyar as Badri
- Pramod Agrahari as Police officer
- Deepak Chhetri as Priest
- Deshbhakta Khanal as Uncle
Awards
| Awards | Category | Recipient(s) | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fribourg International Film Festival | Audience award | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Won |
| Don Quixote Award | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Won | |
| Ecumenical Jury Award | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Won | |
| Special Mention | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Won | |
| Grand Prix | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Nominated | |
| Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards | Best Asian Film | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Nominated |
| Palm Springs International Film Festival | New Voices/New Visions Grand Jury Prize | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Won |
| International Film Festival Rotterdam | KNF Award | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Nominated |
| Singapore International Film Festival | Best Film | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Won |
| Venice Film Festival | Interfilm Award | Deepak Rauniyar (director) Aadi Productions (production company) Louverture Films (production company) Waterland Film (co-production) Match Factory, The (distributor) | Won |
| Best Film | Deepak Rauniyar (director) | Nominated |