# Lawa Pyakurel

Lawa Pyakurel (born April 30, 1973, Nepali: लव प्याकुरेल), also known by his birth name Bala Ram Pyakurel, is a Nepalese filmmaker and editor who works mostly in the documentary film genre. He is best known for his work on the documentaries Wound of Panchayat (Panchayat Ko Ghau), Blue Sky (Nilo Akash) and Girls Rewriting Destiny. He is a linear and non-linear audio visual maker and editor.

## Career

Lawa Pyakurel is a documentary filmmaker/editor in the Nepalese film industry with more than 25 years of experience. He started his film career in 1994 as an assistant director in the mega serial 'Khandahar ko Phool' (Flower of Ruins) directed by Suyog Koirala. He is the chief assistant director and editor of Nepal's first Sanskrit language telefilm 'Guru Dakshina' and 'Raag-Viragam'. His first documentary film 'Jhilko' (A Spark Can Start a Great Fire) was produced in 1997, after which he has worked in more than a hundred documentary films, short films, TV talk shows/programs/reports, TVC and PSAs.

## Biography

Pyakurel has received various national and international honors and awards including Shikhar Honor (2018), Golden Honor (2019), Mahakavi Laxmi Prasad Devkota Talent Honor (2019), National Tribute Honor (2020), Special Citizen Award (2022). His articles, writings and opinions covering the themes of various films have been published in Nepali national daily Annapurna Post, Naya Patrika, Himalaya Times, The Rising Nepal and other newspapers. He is also a founding member of the Executive Committee of the SAARC Journalist Forum (SJF) Nepal Chapter, an international organization of journalists from South Asian countries.

## Selected filmography

| Year | Title | Director | Editor | Producer | Genre |
| 1994 | Flower of Ruins (Khandahar ko Phool) | | Y | | Mega-serial |
| 1996 | Form and Fate (Rup ra Bhagya) | | Y | | TV Serial |
| 1997 | A Spark Can Start a Great Fire (Jhilko) | | Y | Y | Documentary Film |
| 1998 | A Light of Hope (Ashako Diyo) | Y | Y | | Tele-film |
| 1998 | Time Watch (Samaya Ghadi) | | Y | | Experimental Film |
| 1998 | The Dream (Sapana) | | Y | | Tele-film |
| 1999 | Atonement (Prayaschit) | Y | Y | | Fiction Film |
| 2000 | Gurkhas’ Blues | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2000 | Marriage After 20+ | Y | Y | | TVC |
| 2001 | Safe Maternal Health | Y | Y | | Celluloid Advertisement |
| 2004 | The Other Side of the Coin | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2004 | Community Actions-Global Impact | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2005-06 | Perspective (Distrikon) | | Y | | TV Program |
| 2006 | Kaal-khanda | | Y | | Novel Series |
| 2006 | People’s Participation in Rhino Conservation | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2007 | Guru Dakshina | | Y | | Sanskrit Language Tele-film |
| 2007 | Forgotten Woman (Birsieaka Mahilaharu) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2007 | Angnima: The Icefall Doctor | | Y | | Observational Documentary |
| 2008 | Raag-Biragam | | Y | | Sanskrit Language Tele-film |
| 2008 | Wound of Panchayat (Panchayat ko Ghau) | Y | Y | Y | Documentary Film |
| 2009 | Sherpas: The True Heroes of Mount Everest | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2010 | The Shadow of Mount Everest (Sagarmatha ko Pratibimba) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2010 | Enabling Smaller Voices | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2011-14 | Labour and Creation (Sharm ra Srijana) | | Y | | TV Program |
| 2012 | Nizamati: Under Fire | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2012 | Steps (Paila) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2012-13 | Entrepreneur (Udhyam) | | Y | | TV Program |
| 2013 | Transforming Faces | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2013 | Helicopter Rescuer in the Himalayas | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2013 | Lumbini to Seoul | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2013 | Wish of God | Y | Y | | TVC |
| 2014 | Save the Country | Y | Y | Y | Feature Film |
| 2014 | Teachers can make a Difference | | Y | | Campaign Video |
| 2015 | Revolving Face (Pheriyeko Muhar) | Y | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2015 | Revolving Face (Pheriye ko Muhar) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2015 | Community Forestry: Trail to Highway | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2015 | Theater for Social Transformation | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2015 | Healer of Humla | | Y | | Experimental Short Video |
| 2016 | Cost of Dust (Dhulo ko Mulya) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2016 | Karnali Development Diary | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2016 | Class Power (Barga-Satta) | Y | Y | Y | Documentary Film |
| 2016 | Education Reform Plan in Nepal | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2016 | Wedding of Maize (Makai ko Bihe) | Y | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2016 | Education Reform Plan in Nepal | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2017 | PPP (Public-Private-Partnership) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2017 | Community Formularization | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2017 | Epic Centre: Blackout | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2018 | Technical Knowledge of Workers | | Y | | Educational Video Materials |
| 2018 | Gorilla Track | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2018 | Community Empowerment and Development Achievement | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2019 | Blue Sky (Nilo Akash) | Y | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2019 | Successful Story | | Y | | Participatory Documentary |
| 2019 | Unbroken Hopes | | Y | | Participatory Short Documentary |
| 2020 | Behind the Herd | | Y | | Experimental Documentary |
| 2021 | Ox Fiesta (Goru Parwa) | | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2022 | Chitawan Irrigation; Community-based Project | Y | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2022 | Path of Development; Bagmati Irrigation Project | Y | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2024 | Girls Rewriting Destiny | Y | Y | | Documentary Film |
| 2025 (Updated) | Jugal: A Symbol of Unwavering Belief | Y | Y | Y | Documentary Film |

## Awards

| Title | Awards | Category | Film | Result |
| 2009 |||||
| Best Editor Best Director Best Documentary | National Nuwakot Documentary Film Festival (NNDFF) | Documentary Film | Wound of Panchayat | Won |
| 2019 |||||
| Heroes of Documentary Film Editor | NFDC National Film Award | Nepali Documentary | Non-fiction Genre | Won |
| 2022 |||||
| Best Documentary Filmmaker and Editor | Special Citizen Award and Honor | Art and Film | Art and Film Field | Won |
| 2023 | |
| Best Documentary Director | Spiny Babbler International Film Festival (SBIFF) | Documentary Film | Jugal: A Symbol of Unwavering Belief | Won |