The Black Hen

The Black Hen (Nepali: Kalo Pothi) is a 2015 Nepali drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham and produced by Anna Katchko, Tsering Rhitar Sherpa, Min Bahadur Bham, Debaki Rai, Catherine Dussart and Anup Thapa.

The Black Hen
Theatrical poster
Directed byMin Bahadur Bham
Produced byAnna Katchko
Tsering Rhitar Sherpa
Min Bahadur Bham
Debaki Rai
Catherine Dussart
Anup Thapa
Screenplay byMin Bahadur Bham & Abinash Bikram Shah
Story byMin Bahadur Bham
Abinash Bikram Shah
Santosh Bhattarai
Kushang Rai
StarringKhadka Raj Nepali
Sukraj Rokaya
Jit Bahadur Malla
Benisha Hamal
Hansa Khadka
Nanda Prashad Khatri
Bipin Karki
Praween Khatiwada
Music byJason Kunwar
Production
company
Shooney Films (Nepal)
Mila Productions (Nepal)
Kaldhungi Films (Nepal)
Tandem Production (Germany)
CDP (France)
Distributed byWIDE Management (FRANCE)
Release date
  • 4 September 2015 (2015-09-04) (Venice)
  • 3 June 2016 (2016-06-03) (Nepal)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryNepal
LanguageNepali

The story takes place in Mugu, a district in north-west Nepal in 2001 during the Nepalese civil war (1996–2006). It is the first Nepali film to be screened at the Venice Film Festival.[1][2][3] It was selected as the Nepalese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 89th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.[4] It is also the highest grossing Nepali film in overseas and one of the highest-grossing films in Nepal.

Plot

The film is based on a journey embarked by two friends, Prakash and Kiran, belonging to different castes in search of a missing hen, unaware of the tyranny brought by the fragile ceasefire during the Nepalese civil war.

Cast
  • Khadka Raj Nepali as Prakash
  • Sukraj Rokaya as Kiran
  • Jit Bahadur Malla as Prakash's father
  • Benisha Hamal as Kiran's sister
  • Hansa Khadka as Prakash's sister
  • Nanda Prashad Khatri
  • Bipin Karki
  • Praween Khatiwada

Reception

The film opened to generally positive reviews. Sophia Pande of Nepali Times wrote that the film is "an example of the transformation of Nepali cinema, the kind that chooses to portray stories with truth and heart, over melodrama and action".[5] The Himalayan Times wrote in its review: "A mixture of tragedy and comedy, while portraying the brother-sister bond, friendship, caste-based discrimination and the then time of Maoist insurgency in the country, Kalo Pothi has been made with finesse".[6] Clarence Tsui of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Bolstered by stirring performances from his cast, Bham and his crew have produced an evocative piece about harsh lives unraveling in a war-torn, rustic land. Mixing moments of humor and tragedy, along with realism and the ethereal — the latter embodied in fantastic dream sequences illustrating Prakash’s suppressed feelings of grief and loss — Black Hen is an effective showcase of a promising filmmaker in flight".[7]

Awards
  • Best Film at Venice International Film Festival, Critics Week, 2015

See also

References
  1. "Kalo Pothi First Nepali film to screen at Venice Film Festival". myrepublica.com. 2 June 2015.
  2. "Kalo Pothi premiered in Venice". xnepali.net. 9 September 2015.
  3. "Kalo Pothi". sicvenezia.it.
  4. Holdsworth, Nick (6 September 2016). "Oscars: Nepal Selects 'Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen)' for Foreign-Language Category". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
  5. "Kalo Pothi". Nepali Times. 17–23 June 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  6. "Grim picture of war". The Himalayan Times. 4 June 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
  7. "'Kalo Pothi, the Black Hen': Filmart/Hong Kong Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2016.
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