South Asia Trust (SAT)

is a not-for-profit organization reporting to the Social Welfare Council of Nepal.  The Trust was established in 2005 with the objective of focusing on cultural exchange, regional cooperation, and development within Southasia. SAT seeks to restore the historical unity of our common living space by bringing the region closer. It hopes this will alleviate endemic conflicts and promote equity-led socio-economic growth for the subcontinent. It works through two arms – Films Southasia, a biennial festival of documentaries held in Kathmandu that travels the world between festivals – and The Hri Institute for Southasian Research and Exchange.

Film Southasia (FSA) is a biennial festival that was set up in 1997 with the goal of popularising the documentary so that it entertains, informs and changes lives. In addition to the festival that takes place in Kathmandu every two years, FSA organizes screenings, discussions and workshops across Southasia to promote Southasian non-fiction within the Subcontinent and around the world. Film Southasia believes that film is a powerful medium that helps to not only in better represent the region internationally, but also contributes immensely in introspection and initiatives to bring change at the local level. Thirteen editions of the festival have been held to date.

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“Hri” – a sound or a vibration, the utterance of which awakens the empathy that is an inherent part of every sentient being. Regionalism must no longer remain a prisoner of platitude, since there is a consensus that geopolitical friction, poverty and pressing environmental issues as well as cultural and social dislocation must be addressed through the regional framework. There is a need to revive and energise discussions of regionalism on the platform of mainstream politics, public information and research, with a dynamic Southasian sensibility. Hri emerged out of the need for serious scholarship in the arenas of political and culture over a longer time frame than allowed by journalism. The Hri endeavour, besides engaging in political issues of cross-border relevance, focuses on culture, music, literature and the performing arts. Our diverse projects are an effort to animate the intellectual and cultural space in Southasia, which also finds expression through conferences and networking activities. Hri Institute for Southasian Research and Exchange is a unit of the Southasia Trust, Kathmandu Nepal.