Student films screened for Nepal relief

Villagers in Nepal thanking The Chandra Gurung Conservation Trust for their relief efforts.

Courtesy Steve Powers

Filmmaker Kesang Tseten, center, speaking to Mr. Eric Krywe’s class last September.

Courtesy Steve Powers

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The Chandra Gurung Conservation Trust is hosting a Nepal Earthquake Relief Fundraiser this Friday, May 29, at Long Beach High School to benefit the victims of the devastating natural disaster and its ongoing fallout.

Student films will be screened along with the documentary, “We Corner People,” by award-winning director Kesang Tseten. The event is being presented in conjunction with the high school’s TV studio production classes and Asian Culture Club along with the Long Beach International Film Festival.

On April 25, the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal was slammed by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. The affects of the disaster have been far-reaching and aftershocks continue to be felt to this day, according to Chandra Gurung founder Steve Powers, who added that demand for relief far outweighs what is immediately available.

“It was devastating,” he explained. “On May 12 there was an aftershock that was a 7.3. And there’ve been almost daily aftershocks, I think maybe as many as 400.”

Powers, an American who lived in Nepal for 18 years after college, befriended filmmaker Tseten before moving back to the United States to Long Beach in 1996. He founded Chandra Gurung with other Americans who had lived in Nepal and the organization has spread across the country. Last fall, Powers arranged to have Tseten speak to a Television Studio Production class at Long Beach High School.

“He came in and kind of inspired my students,” said Eric Krywe, who teaches the class. “And once we heard about this horrible earthquake in what’s essentially Kesang’s backyard, we wanted to give back.” Krywe added that many of his students had witnessed a natural disaster firsthand in Hurricane Sandy, an added incentive to raise funds for relief. “They experienced it, they know what it’s like to have your home destroyed.”

The fundraiser will feature a screening of student films alongside Tseten’s as well as a performance by the school band. Krywee said that between six and 10 student films will be shown, ranging from fake movie trailers to anti-bully PSAs and commercials.