to attend the Kathmandu Film Festival, highlighting opportunities for cultural exchange and collaboration between Nepal and France through cinema.
The invitation was extended during a courtesy meeting between Dangol and Ambassador Puig-Inza at the acting mayor’s office on Wednesday.
Sharing her experience of attending the Cannes Film Festival, Dangol said she had visited with the specific goal of learning from the internationally renowned festival to help develop the Kathmandu Film Festival.
“Our goal is to connect the local economy with creative industries through cinema,” Dangol said, adding that the festival aims to create a platform where filmmakers can develop their work before reaching the big screen.
She said the festival would also help bring audiences from their homes to public spaces and encourage those attending screenings in public squares to experience films in theatres.
“Cinema has many dimensions, and it is a powerful medium for promoting culture,” Ambassador Puig-Inza said. He noted that the festival organised by Kathmandu Metropolitan City had attracted national and international interest, describing this as an important achievement.
The discussions also covered inclusivity in the film industry, film culture, collaboration and coordination, and diplomatic relations. Both sides explored opportunities to exchange knowledge, skills, expertise and experience between the Nepali and French film industries.
The meeting was attended by embassy political adviser Dipesh Bidari, Gangadhar Gautam, head of the metropolitan city’s International Relations Secretariat, Saurav Gautam, an official from the acting mayor’s secretariat, and other officials.
The meeting highlighted cinema’s potential to strengthen cultural ties and encourage cooperation between Nepal and France, while supporting the development of Kathmandu as a platform for creative industries and international film exchange.
