Biography

Kalani Gacon is a filmmaker from the beautiful small, misty town of Katoomba, Australia who tells the stories of disappearing ways of life, people's dreams, and the frictions of life facing human beings in the changing world.

He has made films across 4 continents, including a chapter working on Hollywood productions, including Disney's 'Upside Down Magic', and the TV series 'Riverdale in Vancouver. Since 2015 Kalani has been living and working in Nepal as a social worker and filmmaker, using filmmaking as a medium for change and transformation.

In 2015 he directed/produced 'Bhukampa', a hybrid documentary about the 2015 earthquakes in Nepal told from the perspectives of children, which led to a successful impact campaign that was able to directly improve the lives of the participants. In 2019 he directed/produced 'Journey to the Centre of the Heart', an award-winning feature documentary about the migration of foreigners into Nepal in the context of the Nepali outward migration crisis. In 2020, he wrote/directed/co-produced 'Sapana ko Awaz' (The Sound of Dreaming), a short film, set in Nepal, about lucid dreaming and past lives, which has played across multiple Oscar qualifying film festivals: Melbourne International Film Festival, LA-Shorts, Busan International Short Film Festival, and won the Jury Special Mention Award at the Oldenberg International Film Festival.

Back in his hometown in 2022, Kalani founded 'Mountain of Youth', a filmmaking mentorship organisation for youth at risk, using storytelling and the filmmaking experience to bring change to the lives of young people.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kalani Gacon

Kalani Gacon has been on a journey to fulfil his childhood dream of creating cinema since he was seven years old. He was born and raised in the small, beautiful, misty town of Katoomba, Australia, but since his teenage years, he has lived and worked in Nepal as a social worker and filmmaker, where he has developed a unique cross-cultural voice, telling stories about the intersection of East and West.

Kalani has made films across four continents, including a chapter working on Hollywood productions such as Disney's Upside-Down Magic and the television series Riverdale.

His recent film Family Man (2025), set in the remote Himalayan village of Gatlang, Nepal, premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival and is enjoying a strong festival run, with selections including the Melbourne International Film Festival and Encounters Film Festival. Family Man won the Audience Choice Award at the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival.

In 2021, Kalani established Mountain of Youth, a filmmaking mentorship organisation that trains and empowers underprivileged young people through the power of storytelling. His productions Soles (2022) and Dreamlink (2023), created through this program, have screened at Academy Award and BAFTA-qualifying festivals, including Aesthetica Film Festival and Flickers' Rhode Island International Film Festival. In 2023, the organisation received a $100,000 state government grant recognising its contribution to community wellbeing and youth mental health.

Kalani's earlier works include Bhukampa (2016), a hybrid documentary about the 2015 Nepal earthquakes told from the perspectives of children; Journey to the Centre of the Heart (2019), a feature documentary about outward migration in Nepal and the inward migration of foreigners to the same land; and Sapana ko Awaz (The Sound of Dreaming) (2021), a short film about lucid dreaming and soulmates set in Nepal, which screened at the Melbourne International Film Festival, LA Shorts, and Busan International Short Film Festival, and won the Jury Special Mention Award at the Oldenburg International Film Festival.

Outside of filmmaking, Kalani also loves languages, trout fishing, freestyle rap, writing poetry, playing football, and soul music.
- IMDb mini biography by: Kalani Gacon