Viewers will be able to watch 88 films from 40 countries and will also have the opportunity to interact with filmmakers.
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The ninth edition of the 'Nepal International Film Festival' (NIF), organized by the Nepal Film and Cultural Foundation with the aim of connecting Nepali films with the global film market, is scheduled to be held from Chaitra 19-23 (April 2-6, 2026).
In the ninth edition of NIF, viewers will be able to watch 88 films from 40 countries within five days and will also have the opportunity to interact with filmmakers.
Continuing the slogan ‘A celebration of stories from around the world, Nepal International Film Festival’, the organizers have announced the dates of this edition of the festival. NIF has stated that the films have been selected keeping the interests of the youth in mind in this edition.
‘This time we have given priority to films focused on the youth. Our efforts are to make NIF youth-friendly,’ says NIF President KP Pathak, ‘To encourage young makers, we have also organized sessions including workshops on AI filmmaking. Our main effort will be to inspire hope in young audiences through films.’
This year, NIF has stated that more than 800 films from more than 80 countries have applied to participate in the festival. The ‘Festival Film Selection Committee’ is confident that the screening of this edition of NIF will be special as the best and most interesting films have been selected from among them.
‘This time, more films have participated than in the previous editions. It has become the edition that has received the most films,’ says Chairman Pathak, ‘This means that the international film community and makers have increased their trust in NIF.’
NIF has selected 88 films from 40 countries, including feature films, short films, films made with AI and documentaries that have participated in world-renowned film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Shanghai, Locarno, Busan, Goa and won awards.
NIF had opened global applications last June. At that time, it was announced that NIF would start on Falgun from 21. The date has been postponed by a month due to the Gen-G movement that took place on Bhadra 23-24, which will lead to general elections in Falgun.
Chairman Pathak says, ‘During elections, issues ranging from transportation to security are of concern. Considering these security and complications, and considering the special importance of the upcoming elections, the NIF has been postponed by a month.'
Awards to be given in these categories
The top award of the NIF, the winner of the best international feature film, will be awarded one thousand five hundred (1,500) US dollars in cash and a trophy through the 'Gautam Buddha Award'. Similarly, the winner of the best national film will be honored with one hundred thousand (1,00,000) rupees in cash and a trophy. The winner of the 'Mount Everest Award', which is considered the best in the documentary film category, will be declared the winner and will receive one thousand (1,000) US dollars and a trophy as a prize.
The winner of the best South Asian feature film category will also be honored with five hundred (500) US dollars and a trophy. The winner of the AI film category will be honored with five hundred (500) US dollars and a trophy through the 'Manjushree Award'. The winner of the International Student Short Film will receive the ‘Best Student Film Award’ trophy.
The winner of the National Short Film category will receive a cash prize of fifty thousand (50,000) rupees and a trophy through the ‘Best National Short Film Award’.
Similarly, the winner of the National Documentary category will receive a cash prize of fifty thousand (50,000) rupees and a trophy along with the ‘Best National Documentary’ award trophy. The best director, actor, actress, screenwriter, and cinematographer in the National Feature Film category will be awarded trophies.
