The first ever Kathmandu Film Festival (KFF) 2026 organised by the Metropolitan City will take place from 30 October to 1 November, putting Nepal’s capital on the world’s cinema map.
The festival will showcase 40 feature films and documentaries from 14 countries, and will be screened at the City Hall and Jai Nepal Cinema.
Ten films have been shortlisted for the International Panorama Program, a curated selection of global, contemporary, and independent cinema that represents powerful stories, unique voices and distinct cultural perspectives.
The Nepal Panorama Shorts Program will feature nine films. A special retrospective will celebrate Nepali cinema of the 1970s and 80s, including Kumari, the first Nepali feature film in colour.
KFF will also feature a screening of shorts ‘View People, View Cities' from Yamagata, a UNESCO Creative City of Film in Japan to mark 70 years of bilateral ties between Nepal and Japan.
KFF will feature a conversation with noted Indian actor Shabana Azmi on the theme ‘Film, Festivals and A Life Well Lived’. There will be a masterclass ‘The Importance of Film Aesthetics from the Global South and the International Festival Circuit’ with Marco Mueller of the Shanghai Film Academy, and panel discussions Nepal’s film industry itself.
Each film selected will receive a prize of Rs100,000. The top three films will receive additional cash awards of Rs150,000, Rs100,000 and Rs50,000. Films to be screened include: The King’s Warden (Korea), Dear You (China), Bayaan (India), La Gradiva (France), and even the classic, The Godfather.
Among documentaries to be screened will be Enchanted Matter, the Art of Robert Powell, and other short films.
Kathmandu was designated a UNESCO Film City in 2023. Entry to festival screenings and events is free.
30-31 October, 1 November
City Hall, Jai Nepal Cinema