Singing A Great Dream Trailer

Directors

Bhakta Syangtan & Anna Stirr

Directors’ Statement

This is the first film about Nepal’s revolutionary singer-songwriter Khusiram Pakhrin, and so far the only film that focuses on the songs of Nepal’s Maoist movement. From the 1980s through 2006, their live performances were often banned and rarely photographed or recorded; hence we rely on Khusiram Pakhrin and his fellow performers for oral history and rare photos and footage of underground performances. 

Bhakta grew up hearing Khusiram Pakhrin’s songs, and found them incredibly moving. Anna first heard his songs during Nepal’s People’s War, around 2004, and recognized in them a depth of feeling and poetic imagery beyond the usual fare of political protest music. Bhakta began to make a documentary about Khusiram while Anna was digitizing his photo archive; we met through a mutual friend who thought Bhakta should interview Anna for the film. Shortly after the interview, Khusiram suddenly passed away. When we met again, we joined forces to make this tribute to him and his songs. We thank his family, party, and fellow artists for their generous assistance with this film.

Selected Awards

Winner: Best Documentary (International) and Best Director (International) at Darbhanga International Film Festival, India, February 2020.

Winner: Exceptional Merit, Docs Without Borders Film Festival, 2020

Honorable Mention in Films with Budgets under $5000 category. “Authentic and very economical in its presentation. Well designed and very monies conscious” – Monkey Bread Tree Film Awards