Sarita and Prawan’s Film ‘The Change’ Wins Another International Award

Kathmandu: The Nepali short film ‘The Change’ (Paribartan) has been honored at the 7th edition of the Nepal Cultural International Film Festival (NCIFF) 2026, organized by the Nepal Culture and Film Center.

During the film festival held in Kathmandu from January 30 to February 1, ‘The Change’ was presented with the ‘Special Mention Award’ in the short film category. The film's actress and singer Sarita Bharati, actor Prawan Bhusal, and director Dabbu Kshetri received the award at the festival.

Eighty-five films from 39 countries were screened at three venues in Kathmandu during the three-day festival. Following the screenings, international judges presented the award to ‘The Change’ during the grand finale award ceremony held at the Nepal Police Club in Bhrikutimandap.

At the award ceremony, actress and singer Sarita stated that the ill-practice of treating women as untouchables during menstruation still exists in Nepali society, and she portrayed the role of a woman who falls victim to this practice. Actor Prawan added that the film works to spread social awareness against such harmful traditions.

Just last month, ‘The Change’ was also presented with a Special Mention Award at the ‘6th Bogura International Film Festival’ held in Bogura city, Bangladesh. The film received the award in the ‘International Short Indoor’ category. Director Dabbu Kshetri, actor Prawan Bhusal, and actress Sarita Bharati had also traveled to Bangladesh to receive that award.

Furthermore, ‘The Change’ won the Best Short Film award at the second edition of the Rural Film Festival. At that festival, Dabbu Kshetri won Best Director, Prawan Bhusal won Best Actor, and Sarita Bharati won the Jury Award for Best Actress for their work in this film. In this way, ‘The Change’ has consecutively won awards at one national and two international film festivals. The film has also been selected for several other international festivals.

Along with Prawan and Sarita, the short film features Kamala Joshi, Madhav Raj Kharel, Sharmila Sharma, and Suraj Adhikari in lead roles. The film was written and directed by Dabbu Kshetri, featuring background music by Om Sunar, cinematography by Ramsharan Upreti, and editing by Birendra Bhat ‘Bipin.’ It was produced by Arbisa Bhusal, Yubika Budhathoki, and Sarita Bharati under the banner of Bilakshan Creation Pvt. Ltd.