KATHMANDU, NEPAL — Nepal's capital is preparing for the first edition of its own film festival, a three-day celebration that will screen more than 40 films from 10 countries in cinemas and open-air venues across the city, from the historic squares of Basantapur to the halls of the Nepal Tourism Board.
Illustration: An open-air film screening at dusk in a historic palace square with temple rooftops.
What Happened
The Kathmandu Film Festival is set to take place from 30 October to 1 November 2026, bringing Nepali and international films, discussions and cultural activities to venues across the capital, according to reports published in the days leading up to the event. The festival is being organised by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) to promote cinema, creative industries and Kathmandu's cultural heritage.
The three-day programme will feature more than 40 films from 10 countries, including feature films, documentaries and short films, under sections such as Nepal Panorama, International Panorama and the Youth Video Challenge. Screenings and festival activities will be held at venues including Basantapur, the National City Hall, the Nepal Tourism Board, Jai Nepal Cinema and the Taragaon Next Museum. The programme will include both cinema-hall screenings and open-air presentations.
The festival will open on 30 October with activities at Basantapur, including the Kathmandu Film Festival Heritage Run, followed by an open-air screening. The opening programme will also feature the classic Nepali film Sindoor. A red-carpet event will be held on the second day at the City Hall in honour of the Nepali film industry, alongside master classes, panel discussions, interactive sessions and an awards ceremony.
Special screenings of classic Nepali films, including Kumari, Ke Ghar Ke Dera and Sindoor, will highlight Nepal's cinematic history. International films from countries including China, India, Australia, France, South Korea, Singapore and the United States are also scheduled to be screened, giving audiences a chance to explore different filmmaking styles and stories from Nepal and abroad.
The festival also aims to give young and emerging filmmakers a platform. The Youth Video Challenge has selected films from submissions by young creators, while the Nepal Panorama section will showcase Nepali documentary, fiction, animation and experimental works. Winners of the Youth Video Challenge will be awarded during the festival, while those selected under Nepal Panorama will also receive inspirational awards, according to Radio Nepal.
Background
The festival is the latest step in Kathmandu's effort to build a film culture rooted in the city's neighbourhoods. Earlier in 2026, KMC ran "Tole Tole Ma Film Mahotsav" — translated as "Film in Every Neighbourhood" — a campaign that ran from 19 June to 10 July across eight neighbourhood venues, featuring free public screenings every Friday and Saturday in open spaces, squares and historical courtyards, in partnership with various organisations.
Kathmandu holds the designation of UNESCO Creative City of Film under the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, and the new festival is part of its official cultural programme to highlight local heritage, living traditions and creative industries. The festival's local name, "Yen Sankipa Nakha," is translated as Kathmandu Film Festival, according to reports on the event.
The city government says it is developing and expanding the film sector as a means to promote creative industries by connecting them with the community and education. Efforts are being made to link local creative industries with professionals, organisations and festival organisers while preserving originality and local culture, KMC said in statements reported by Radio Nepal.
The build-up to the festival has already drawn the city in. On 25 October, KMC organised the Kathmandu Film Festival Heritage Run from Basantapur, a 10-kilometre race that started and finished at Basantapur Durbar Square. A total of 704 runners registered for the event, including 152 women and 552 men; 550 runners who registered within the designated deadline competed for official rankings. Australian Paralympic athlete Katrina Webb took part to motivate the runners, alongside Nepali athletes Santoshi Shrestha and Hari Bahadur Rokaya. The race route covered 13 wards of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, passing through areas including Indra Chowk, Asan, Jamal, Durbarmarg, Naxal, Hadigaun, Kalopul, Sifal, Gaushala, Maitidevi, Dilli Bazaar, Exhibition Road, Bhadrakali, Shahid Gate, Dharahara and New Road, before returning to Basantapur. Winners in both the men's and women's categories were to receive cash prizes of 50,000 rupees for first place, 30,000 for second and 20,000 for third, with every finisher receiving a medal.
Illustration: Runners in a heritage fun run passing through a historic old-city street.
Why It Matters
A city film festival does more than fill cinema seats. For Kathmandu, the inaugural edition is a statement about how the city sees itself: not only as a gateway for trekkers heading to the Himalayas, but as a cultural capital with its own stories, its own film history and its own creative future. Holding screenings in palace squares and public halls, rather than only in commercial cinemas, puts film back into the shared spaces where communities gather.
The festival's structure reflects that ambition. Nepal Panorama gives Nepali filmmakers — documentary makers, animators and experimental artists as well as feature directors — a showcase alongside international work, rather than in its shadow. The Youth Video Challenge gives young creators a first festival credit, and the classic-film screenings connect today's audiences with the Nepali cinema of earlier generations, from Kumari to Sindoor.
There is also an economic argument. Film festivals bring visitors, fill hotels and restaurants, and give local crews, venues and suppliers work. KMC has framed the festival explicitly as a way to promote creative industries, and the involvement of various organisations and institutions — which have established collaborations with the city office for the event — suggests a model in which the festival grows through partnerships rather than depending on a single funder.
For international audiences, the festival offers a window onto a film culture that rarely reaches screens abroad. Nepali cinema, shaped by the country's languages, landscapes and social change, has a distinctive voice, and a festival in the capital gives programmers, critics and distributors a reason to pay attention.
Illustration: Vintage film reels and a classic movie camera in front of Himalayan peaks at sunrise.
What Happens Next
The festival opens on 30 October at Basantapur, with the Heritage Run festivities and an open-air screening, and runs through 1 November. Audiences can attend screenings across the city's venues, with the city extending an open invitation to the public for the open-air presentations along the road stretching from Juddha Salik to Indrachowk.
The programme's centrepieces will unfold across the three days: the red-carpet event at City Hall on the second day, master classes and interactive sessions at the Nepal Tourism Board, screenings in the Nepal Panorama and International Panorama sections, and the awards ceremony honouring the Youth Video Challenge winners and the Nepal Panorama selections.
If the first edition succeeds, the festival's organisers hope it will become a fixture in Kathmandu's cultural calendar — and a step toward positioning the city, in the festival's own vision, as a cultural gateway to Nepal, where films invite the world to discover the country's stories, heritage and creativity while inspiring a new generation of storytellers. The coming days will show whether Kathmandu's first film festival can live up to that billing — and whether its audiences, in palace squares and cinema halls alike, come out to claim it as their own.
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FAQ
When and where is the Kathmandu Film Festival?
The inaugural Kathmandu Film Festival runs from 30 October to 1 November 2026 in Kathmandu, Nepal, with venues including Basantapur, the National City Hall, the Nepal Tourism Board, Jai Nepal Cinema and the Taragaon Next Museum.
Who organises the festival?
Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC), which holds the UNESCO Creative City of Film designation. The festival is part of the city's programme to promote cinema, creative industries and cultural heritage.
How many films will be screened?
More than 40 films from 10 countries, including feature films, documentaries and short films, across the Nepal Panorama, International Panorama and Youth Video Challenge sections.
What classic Nepali films will be shown?
Special screenings of classic Nepali films including Kumari, Ke Ghar Ke Dera and Sindoor will highlight Nepal's cinematic history. The opening programme on 30 October features Sindoor.
What else is part of the festival programme?
A red-carpet event at City Hall on the second day, master classes, panel discussions, interactive sessions, an awards ceremony, and open-air screenings. A 10-kilometre Heritage Run from Basantapur Durbar Square was held on 25 October as a build-up event.
Sources
- Nepal on the Web, "Kathmandu Film Festival set to begin October 30," October 2026
- Radio Nepal Online (RSS), "KMC partners with various organisations for Kathmandu Film Festival," 21 October 2026
- Nepal on the Web, "Kathmandu heritage run held ahead of film festival," October 2026
- Nepali Cinematheque, "Events & Screenings: October 2026," 6 October 2026
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