2005
One person, one practice.
Silhouette International began as an independent creative practice in Kathmandu. The studio grew through the work itself: one production, one relationship, and one fulfilled commitment at a time.
Built through
the work.
Silhouette International grew from one filmmaker into a compact production house with cinema at its foundation and public-interest storytelling at the centre of its practice.
Not scale for its own sake. A wider field for the same creative responsibility.How the studio took shape
One continuous practice, changing in scale and form.
2016
Cinema found the voice.
Bijuli Machine brought a science narrative into a distinctly Nepali world. The feature established the studio's visual language and carried its work to audiences beyond Nepal.
Today
That voice serves wider stories.
A compact team now works across narrative film, documentary, public communication, animation, identity, and selected commercial production, with development-sector work at the centre of its continuing practice.
Cinema / The defining chapter
A local story carried an ambitious idea.
Bijuli Machine, Nepal's first science-based fiction feature, blended scientific ideas with Nepali storytelling. It defined the studio's cinematic language and introduced that voice internationally.
2017 Opening film
Tasveer South Asian Film Festival, Seattle
2017 Most Commendable Film of the Year
LG Cine Circle Awards
2018 Best Narrative Feature
And The Winners Are... Awards
Learning Never Stops / UNESCO
The work found a public life
Stories made to be understood, remembered, and used.
Silhouette works with development organizations, public institutions, and communities on health, education, WASH, livelihoods, safety, and social awareness. These films require the same narrative attention as cinema, with an added responsibility to subject, evidence, and audience.
Collaborations have included UNICEF, WaterAid, Red Cross, UN DSS, Save the Children, Laerdal Global Health, UNESCO, and the Toyota Foundation.
How we work
Careful planning.
Vigorous execution.
No distance from the work.
Listen before the camera moves.
The subject, audience, and context determine the form. Production begins with understanding, not a predetermined treatment.
Treat every scale seriously.
A short public message and a feature film ask different things of us, but neither receives less thought, care, or personal investment.
Let trust outlast the project.
Many collaborations have continued across years. We value that continuity because it is earned through clear planning, responsible production, and fulfilled commitments.
One studio, several forms
The form follows the story.
- Feature films
- Documentaries
- Development communication
- Short films
- Commercial production
- 2D and 3D animation
- Visual identity
- TV and radio programmes
A compact company by design
The core stays close. The team expands around the work.
Silhouette is built around a small group of experienced specialists and a trusted network of filmmakers, producers, artists, and technicians. Each project assembles the expertise it actually needs.
Navin Awal
Founder, writer and directorNavin Awal is the founder of Silhouette International and the filmmaker behind Nepal's first science based feature film, Bijuli Machine. The studio's work moves between cinema, social impact storytelling, and commercial direction in close collaboration with clients, producers, and technical teams.
The narrative practice continues
The next story begins where certainty ends.
1 Percent is part of the studio's continuing short-film practice and received Best Film at the Daanfe International Film Festival.
See the practice in full.
View the work