Festival to celebrate Nepal’s cinematic heritage, showcase global films and promote emerging Nepali filmmakers
The three-day festival aims to celebrate Kathmandu’s ancient heritage, distinctive identity, traditions and tangible and intangible cultural assets while bringing untold stories from the city to international audiences. It will also seek to bridge generations by honouring veteran artists and passing their artistic legacy on to younger generations.
International guests will join Nepali artists, filmmakers and creative industry professionals for the opening ceremony, heritage walk, red-carpet event, classic Nepali film screenings, panel discussions and masterclasses.
Azmi will participate in an interaction titled Films, Festivals and a Life Well Lived on October 31 at the Nepal Tourism Board. D’Cunha will join a panel discussion on Nurturing Creative Cities Through Film and Festivals.
Nakamura will introduce Yamagata, Japan’s UNESCO Creative City of Film, through a presentation at the National Assembly Hall on October 31. On November 1, Müller will lead a masterclass at the Nepal Tourism Board on film aesthetics from the Global South and their significance in the international festival circuit.
The same day, a panel discussion titled Nepal’s Film Industry: Past, Present and Future will bring together participants to examine the industry’s evolution, challenges and opportunities.
The festival will also feature a heritage walk through Basantapur and an opening ceremony on October 30, followed by a red-carpet event, an awards ceremony and screenings of classic Nepali films.
Classic Nepali films and international cinema
Kathmandu Metropolitan City will present special screenings of Kumari and Ke Ghar Ke Dera, films from the 1970s and 1980s, as part of its efforts to preserve Nepal’s cinematic heritage.
The International Panorama section will showcase contemporary and independent films from different countries, representing diverse storytelling traditions and cultural perspectives. The lineup includes Chinese film Dear You, directed by Lan Hongchao; Indian film Bayan, directed by Vikas Ranjan Mishra; Australian film Mis En Place, directed by Julian Nuhaus; and Australian-Mongolian film Stairs, directed by Zoljargal Purevdash.
Other selections include the American film Enchanted Matter: The Art of Robert Powell, directed by Tom Pigeat; French film La Gravida, directed by Merit Enlann; Korean film The King’s Warden, directed by Jang Hang-jun; and Not a Hero, directed by Rima Das, a Singapore-Indian production.
The festival will also screen No Good Men, directed by Shahrbanoo Sadat, and Francis Ford Coppola’s classic American film The Godfather. The closing screening will feature Private Property, a Nepali-American-French-Australian production. A short film titled View People, View Cities, from Yamagata, will also be screened.
Spotlight on emerging Nepali filmmakers
The Nepal Panorama Shorts section will highlight emerging local talent through films, short films and documentaries exploring Nepali society, culture and experiences.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City received 75 submissions through an open call and selected 10 films for screening. Each selected filmmaker will receive an incentive award of Rs 100,000.
The selected titles include Sarita Shah’s Manki, Sudarshan Yonjan’s Ashubh Ashtami, Shyam Bahadur Limbu’s Doors Are Still Closed, Purna Bahadur Gurung’s A Letter in Winter, Lakpa Chhoden Lama’s Home Is Not a Place, Rajesh Prasad Khatri’s Chumpa: A Doll Under the Basket, Alin Kattel’s Sapsu: A Solemn Promise, Aakash Dhimal’s Nar and Sarjun Rai’s Marichha.
The festival’s youth video challenge, themed My Culture, My Heritage, received 35 submissions of videos up to five minutes long. Eleven entries have been selected for screening.
The selected works include Shailesh Hamal’s Happiness, Dhritika Tiwari’s Bagaincha Jastai Sahar, Karan Blon’s Diyo, Dinesh Maharjan’s Indra Jatra: The Biggest Festival of Kathmandu, and Saugat Sapkota’s Jhingu Chhen (My Home).
Other selections are Narjung Budhathoki’s Behind the God, Keshav Sarki’s Antim Yatra, Jeevan Sunuwar’s Bhakunde Bhoot, Krimin Tuladhar’s Sachika: A Thread That Ties You Home, Anubhav Shrestha’s The Soul of Guthi and Sajil Basnet’s Chhaṅ Lwā: Maṃsāṃ.
A jury will award Rs 150,000, Rs 100,000 and Rs 50,000 to the first-, second- and third-place winners, respectively.
Red carpet to honour artists and achievers
The festival’s red-carpet event will recognise contributions to the arts and other fields that have helped shape Nepal’s distinctive identity. Veteran and young actors, child performers, artists from different disciplines and individuals who have made exemplary contributions to Nepal’s economic, social, political, environmental, health and education sectors are expected to participate.
Through screenings, discussions and educational programmes, the festival aims to connect local filmmakers with international professionals, strengthen Kathmandu’s creative industries and create opportunities for artists to reach wider audiences.
Kathmandu is a member of UNESCO’s Creative Cities Network. The metropolitan city has been working to connect filmmaking with communities and education while promoting local creativity, cultural preservation and tourism.
One of its initiatives, Film Festivals in Every Neighbourhood, seeks to develop a film-viewing culture among residents and build the capacity of local communities, clubs and organisations to organise screenings.
The festival is being organised in collaboration with partners including Jai Nepal Cinema, Agni Group, inDrive, the US and Australian embassies in Nepal, UNESCO and Alliance Française. Himalaya Pay is the digital ticketing partner.
Film screenings will be free to the public, but audiences must obtain tickets to reserve seats.
Organisers expect the festival to help preserve Kathmandu’s cultural identity, promote Nepal’s film industry, expand opportunities for emerging filmmakers and strengthen the city’s profile as an international destination for culture and creativity.
