Dina Iordanova on the jury of the first Yala International Independent Film Festival in Nepal

In February 2019, Dina Iordanova served on the jury of the inaugural Yala IIFF in Lalithpur (Kathmandu), in Nepal. This was a particularly exciting jury service, which she shared with French producer Marc Baschet and Thai-British producer-director Tom Waller of De Warenne Pictures — not least because the jury had the opportunity to distribute a whopping 11 awards to the 28 contestants.

The jury members also gave masterclasses to the participants in the industry pitching forum: about 30 aspiring Nepalese filmmakers. Topics ranged from international co-productions (Baschet), films based on true stories (Waller) and women directors and film festivals (Iordanova). The festival provided insights into a little known tradition of filmmaking which is now turning into a new thriving centre for independent filmmaking in heart of the Himalayas.