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Love Holds Archive: Intuitive Methods of Filmmaking
With Sattya Collective and Taragaon Next
8th & 9th February 2026
Patan, Nepal
Documentation by Ayush Kapali
A two-day gathering for emerging filmmakers, artists, and storytellers interested in experimental filmmaking, fiction-documentary hybridity, queer kinship, decolonial approaches to archival memory, and storytelling as an embodied and political practice.
Drawing from Rukel’s feature film Movement Song (2026), the discussions emphasize accessibility, creative freedom, and working with limited resources. Through talks, guided exercises, screenings, and group feedback sessions, participants were encouraged to develop their own ideas and begin imagining different paths their practices can take.
How can poetry turn into film?
What are the possibilities in hybrid filmmaking? What happens when the intimacy of documentary-making is held by the intimacy of character-based fictional storytelling?
How does archive come alive? What are the ways in which archive can be held?
How does engagement with archive become life-changing?
Dignity is a voice. It is a language. It is also a visual/cinematic language.
How to approach your subject with dignity? How can filming become a dignifying action? What are things to consider? Camera distance/angles, consent, pacing, sound, lighting, the edit, the control of the story.
Queer kinship as access to specific stories.
Trusting one's voice as a storyteller. How to cultivate the confidence needed to hold a story?
Calibrating your presence in the story as a maker.
Nostalgia as a narrative tool. Methods to bring a nostalgic voice into the present moment of the film.
The importance of self-study. How do the storytellers you appreciate the most approach their craft?
Borrow equipment.
Collaborate with like-mindeds.
Make sure that you hold a fair ethical ground. Give credits. Establish transparency when it comes to potential monetary earnings from the collaborative work.
How to increase your likelihood to be funded?
How to make your efforts visible?
You are the vision and the action; trust your intuition.
Do not give up on your story.
Can filmmaking be stress-free?
Do you care about the needs of your collaborators and your crew?
Do you care about what kind of an experience it is to create a film with you?
Do you care about how the process will be remembered?
Be aware: the energy of the film carries the values it was created upon.
What are your reasons to be a storyteller?
The gathering included a conversation with the Nepali filmmaker Shashank Shrestha.
Participant Reflections
Raj:
The first time I watched Mayıs' film Movement Song, I was really intrigued by the nature of the film. It allowed me to sit back and take it in rather than be anxious every time. The day I joined the workshop I instantly felt the same way. Laid back, relaxed, safe in a manner and most importantly I felt heard and seen. The community was warm and welcoming and gave me the push I needed to pursue what I wanted and this led to me making some radical changes in my life. I am so glad I did those because I now feel more free than I ever did.
Going to the photo walk or a hangout with Mayıs was also the breath of fresh air I needed in my extremely busy schedule. Nearly got beaten down by the rain but it was all worth it.
Actually Mayis is the calm and composed “friend” and mentor we all need in life. I really wish I could spend more time with him. Next time for sure!
Power:
Hi Mayis!! 🌞
How are you? I hope you’re doing well! I just wanted to take a moment to tell you how much your workshop truly inspired me. Honestly, it wasn’t just about learning filmmaking or storytelling.. it felt like a space where I could breathe, explore, and connect with my own memories, feelings, and ideas in a way I hadn’t before. Everything… the exercises, the conversations, the way you guided us… felt so alive, warm, and playful, like creating could be joyful instead of scary.
What really stayed with me is how you work with emotions and feelings so naturally, how you make storytelling feel human, accessible, and meaningful. It’s rare to meet someone who can bring so much care into both the art and the people around them, and it’s something I deeply admire about you. Being part of the workshop made me want to actually do something with my own ideas, to start creating and experimenting in my own way, without worrying too much about perfection or rules.
Thank you for sharing your energy, your ideas, and your heart with us. Your presence, your talent, and the space you created left a lasting impression on me, and I’ll carry this experience with me as I try to explore my own stories and make something real. I feel lucky to have been part of it, and I can’t wait to see all the amazing things you continue to create and share with the world.
With gratitude and excitement,
Power
Amrit:
Mayis created an incredibly thoughtful and grounded space from the very beginning. Through the gentle sound of a singing bowl and his calm and caring presence, he invited us to slow down, to arrive fully in the moment, and to feel welcomed into shared intellectual and creative space. His facilitation was skillful, generous, and deeply reflective, creating a workshop that was both intellectually stimulating and creatively inspiring. As an Indigenous Tamang anthropology student from Nepal, trained across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada, I was particularly compelled by how deeply his documentary Movement Song draws on lived experience and the intellectual traditions of Black and Brown queer and feminist scholars. This expanded how I think about my own intellectual practice as a relational and embodied form of knowledge-making. Amrit Tamang, PhD Candidate in Anthropology, University of British Columbia.
Gurans:
I joined the workshop on the second day, having missed the beginning, but it didn't feel that way at all. The space you created made it easy to just arrive and be present. The conversations we had about storytelling went deep really quickly and one story shared in the room unlocked a memory in me I hadn't touched in a long time. I think that only happens when a facilitator holds the room the way you did. Since the workshop, I've found myself writing my ideas down more often, something I wasn't really doing before. Your energy was calm and genuinely attentive, and the fact that you brought so much thoughtfulness about our culture and context, coming from somewhere entirely different, made it even more special. Thank you so much for having me.
Alina:
It was a wonderful pleasure meeting you, Mayis. The beautiful positive energy you carry and openness to learn and grow is very inspiring. Wish this light within you shine through and through. Trying to conclude everything shortly but I do have a couple of things to say. For a starter the 2 days workshop felt quite short to be honest to sort out ideas and create an actual roadmap on how one can start their own film making project. There is so much a human brain can handle in two short days. :p
But it was a great insight on the experience of a filmmaker. Where one’s inspiration comes from, how do you connect, how do you collaborate? What does it actually mean to give space and be vulnerable? The process that one goes through and method the challenges and struggles. Everything was fascinating to hear, of course everyone comes with their own unique perspective and might have their own biases to look into. But I really enjoyed listening to your filmmaking journey and also our fellow participants’ ideas and dilemmas.
We have to start somewhere and I truly believe that it helps by sharing and exploring and connecting. That’s the big giveaway from your workshop.
I am open to collaborating in future. All the best for your future endeavors. :)
Here are some pages from the notes I took during the workshop:
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