KARACHI: Gard, an upcoming feature documentary by filmmaker Mahera Omar, has won the Nepal Film Initiative`s Best Pitch Award at the Kathmandu Doc Lab.

`Currently in development, Gard is a poetic journey across the textures and rhythms of the mundane and quirky in Karachi, set in the backdrop of the city`s polluted air,` said a press release. `The award recognises the outstanding documentary project and the creative vision of the filmmaker.

Omkar Khandagale from Pune won the KIMFF Foundation`s Best Pitch Award for An Eventual Calamity of Time, while filmmakers Alvina Joshi and Rahul Rabha from Mumbai won the Nepal Film Development Board`s Best Pitch Award for A Weaver Bird`s Nest.

The fourth Best Pitch Award, presented by the Documentary Association of Pakistan, went to Bunu Dhungana of Nepal for her film Traces of Her.

The Kathmandu Doc Lab is an incubation lab and forum designed by South Asians for South Asians. It took place over five intensive days, bringing together nine selected documentary projects from across South Asia, offering mentorship, workshops, and direct connections with global industry partners in documentary film.

The event highlighted emerging voices and powerful stories from across the region, offering a glimpse into documentary projects currently in development.

These projects have been developed through the first edition of the Kathmandu Doc Lab under the guidance of three dedicated mentors Arun Bhattarai from Bhutan, Rintu Thomas from India and Anam Abbas from Pakistan. -Dawn Report