PATAN, JANUARY 12

Minister for Communications and Information Technology Rekha Sharma said that preparations were afoot to present the Bill on Film in the upcoming session of the parliament.

At an interaction organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Film Censor Board here today, Minister Sharma urged the professionals of film fraternity to furnish suggestions since, she said, that bill would be prepared incorporating the suggestions coming from the professionals facing problems in this sector.

'We are preparing to present Act related to films in the upcoming session of the parliament. Film is not merely an entertainment. It is one of the mediums of mass communication. We are expecting to formulate law that could be relevant for next 20 years,' Sharma said.

Pledging to address the problem of not having a separate office of the Film Censor Board, the Minister also committed to facilitate for the same. Stating that quality management was an important issue for competitive film production, she viewed that the Nepali films should take into account competing in the domestic and foreign market.

On a different note, she acknowledged that problems facing the female filmmakers were distinct, she urged for suggestions for devising policies and budget to address the problems.

She drew the attention of the Advertisement Board to oversee and prevent running of the advertisements barred by the constitution.

Similarly, Bishal Sapkota, in his presentation, pressed for amendment in the old law on film formulated in 2026 BS. He underlined reforming the film sector by various measures including adopting innovative technologies.

Expressing his concern over narrow scope for research and development in the country, he viewed that legal provisions should be put in place and opportunities and possibilities should be created for the artistes' dignified livelihood.

Likewise, Nirmala Neupane, Under-Secretary at the MoCIT and member-secretary at the Board, opined that the interaction would significantly aid in streamline film censorship related works and addressing prevailing film fraternity.