JAAR

Phurba Tshering Lama is a filmmaker from Darjeeling, India, and an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). His debut short, Ek Dhakar Jiwan, received international recognition, winning the Best Short Film Peace Award at the Gothenburg Independent Film Festival and a Special Jury Mention at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, one of the world’s foremost platforms for short cinema. With Jaar, his debut feature, Phurba crafts a bold cinematic vision rooted in Himalayan identity, exploring justice, stigma, and exile amid the austere beauty of 19th-century Nepal. Adapted from a story by legendary Nepali writer Indra Bahadur Rai, Jaar unfolds as a visually immersive tale of defiance and humanity set against the unforgiving Nepalese highlands. The film was selected for the Main Competition at the Alania Film Festival in Russia, and went on to win Best Picture at the 6th Indic Film Utsav in Dallas, affirming Phurba’s place among the most compelling contemporary voices emerging from the region.