Kathmandu, Nepal — More than 40 films from approximately ten countries will be screened during Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s Kathmandu Film Festival 2026, scheduled for 30 October to 1 November 2026 (13–15 Kartik 2083). The three-day festival brings together Nepali shorts, international features, heritage screenings, youth films, public events and filmmaking conversations.
The municipality has publicly identified selected titles across International Panorama, Nepal Panorama, the Youth Video Challenge and classic Nepali cinema. The lists below cover 35 individually named festival films, not the entire announced programme of more than 40. Other international titles and Yamagata short-film titles have not all been published in the accessible organiser announcement.
Movie Posters: Confirmed Visual Guide
These 12 posters have identifiable, film-specific sources and correspond to the festival’s published selections. Tap a poster to open a larger image. All are film-publicity or historical theatrical artwork, not posters commissioned or endorsed by Kathmandu Film Festival. Credits appear below the images.
Image: Flicks Australia
Image: Platoon One Films / IMDb
Image: Bus Stop Films / IMDb
Image: The Film Stage
Image: Showbox
Image: The New Indian Express
Image: Circuito Cinema
Image: Paramount Pictures / TMDb
Image: IMDb / Busan Film Festival
Image: IMDb film archive
Image: The Film Nepal
Image: IMDb film archive
Poster availability note: The other 23 individually named festival entries have not been given a film-specific public poster that could be confidently verified against the filmmaker and title in this review. Their titles remain included in the complete tables. We have not substituted unofficial AI-made artwork or posters from unrelated films.
International Panorama: All Ten Announced Films
Jai Nepal Cinema will host the international selection, mixing feature dramas, independent filmmaking and a world-cinema classic. Eight of the ten announced titles have verified film-specific poster images shown in the table.
| Poster | Film | Director / filmmaker | Origin / format |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Dear You | Lan Hongchun | China |
|
Bayaan | Bikas Ranjan Mishra | India |
| Not publicly verified | Mise en Place | Julian Neuhaus | Australia · short |
|
Stairs | Zoljargal Purevdash | Mongolia · short |
| Not publicly verified | Enchanted Matter: The Art of Robert Powell | Tom Piozet | Documentary |
|
La Gradiva | Marine Atlan | France / Italy |
|
The King’s Warden | Jang Hang-jun (Chang Hang-jun) | South Korea |
|
Not a Hero | Rima Das | India / Singapore |
|
No Good Men | Shahrbanoo Sadat | International |
|
The Godfather | Francis Ford Coppola | United States · 1972 |
Bayaan, directed by Bikas Ranjan Mishra, follows a detective investigating allegations against a powerful figure. Not a Hero is a film by Rima Das; No Good Men is by Shahrbanoo Sadat; and The Godfather is the 1972 Francis Ford Coppola classic. The refreshed Godfather poster is a portrait-format image featuring Marlon Brando, not an unrelated sequel or low-resolution preview.
Credit clarification: The municipality’s release attributes Stairs to Genevieve Clay-Smith, but the filmmaker’s own production record names Zoljargal Purevdash as director and Clay-Smith as writer/producer. The table uses the production credit. The official name of the Dear You director is Lan Hongchun.
Nepal Panorama: Ten Selected Nepali Short Films
Kathmandu Metropolitan City selected ten Nepal Panorama works from 75 submissions, with screenings scheduled at National City Hall (Rastriya Sabha Griha) on 1 November. Each selected entry is due a NPR 100,000 incentive award. One selected film, Rihana, has a verified public festival poster; the other films are presented by title and credited maker until authentic artwork is published.
| Poster | Film | Director / filmmaker |
|---|---|---|
|
Rihana | Suraj Paudel |
| Not publicly verified | Manki | Sarita Shah |
| Not publicly verified | Ashubh Ashtami | Sudarshan Yonjan (as listed by KMC) |
| Not publicly verified | Doors Are Still Closed | Shyam Bahadur Limbu |
| Not publicly verified | A Letter in Winter | Purna Bahadur Gurung |
| Not publicly verified | Home Is Not a Place | Lakpa Chhoden Lama |
| Not publicly verified | Chumpa: A Doll Under the Basket | Rajesh Prasad Khatri |
| Not publicly verified | Sapsu: A Solemn Promise | Alin Kattel |
| Not publicly verified | Nar | Aakash Dhimal |
| Not publicly verified | Marichha | Sarjun Rai |
The municipal press announcement is the source of the Nepali selection and filmmaker names. Some film-credit databases use different spelling/transliteration conventions.
Youth Video Challenge: Twelve Selected Videos
Twelve entries were selected from 35 submissions to the five-minute “My Culture, My Heritage” Youth Video Challenge. The top three receive NPR 150,000, NPR 100,000 and NPR 50,000 respectively. As of this update, no authoritative individual publicity poster could be matched for these twelve short videos.
| Poster | Film | Director / filmmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Not publicly verified | Cigarette | Raj Dong |
| Not publicly verified | Happiness | Shailesh Hamal |
| Not publicly verified | A City Like a Garden | Dhritika Tiwari |
| Not publicly verified | Diyo | Karan Blon |
| Not publicly verified | Indra Jatra: The Biggest Festival of Kathmandu | Dinesh Maharjan |
| Not publicly verified | Jhingu Chhen (My Home) | Saugat Sapkota |
| Not publicly verified | Behind the God | Narjung Budhathoki |
| Not publicly verified | The Last Journey | Keshav Sarki |
| Not publicly verified | Bhakunde Bhoot | Jeevan Sunuwar |
| Not publicly verified | Sachika: A Thread That Ties You Home | Krimin Tuladhar |
| Not publicly verified | The Soul of Guthi | Anubhav Shrestha |
| Not publicly verified | Chhan Lwah Mansan | Sajil Basnet |
Classic Nepali Cinema: Three Special Screenings
The festival’s retrospective includes Kumari, Ke Ghar Ke Dera and Sindoor. Their historical film artwork is shown below. Be careful not to confuse the 1985 Ke Ghar Ke Dera with the later Ke Ghar Ke Dera: Ghar No. 2.
| Poster | Film | Director / filmmaker | Origin / format |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Kumari | Classic Nepali cinema | 1977 |
|
Ke Ghar Ke Dera | Pradeep Rimal | 1985 |
|
Sindoor | Prakash Thapa | 1980 |
Sindoor is planned for the opening-day outdoor heritage screening near Juddha Salik and Indra Chowk.
Yamagata Collaboration and Other Screenings
Short films from Yamagata, Japan, part of UNESCO’s Creative Cities of Film network, will also screen. The programme has been described as View People, View Cities; the full names of the constituent shorts have not been independently confirmed.
The city also reported an associated special presentation of Elephants in the Fog and a discussion with its filmmakers and students ahead of the main festival. This is a pre-festival activity, not an additional confirmed title in the 30 October–1 November main lineup.
Festival Events and Schedule
Friday, 30 October: Heritage walk and opening screenings
The main programme opens at Basantapur with cultural presentations and a heritage walk. An open-air screening of Sindoor and a selected Youth Video Challenge film is planned along the road between Juddha Salik and Indra Chowk.
Saturday, 31 October: Red carpet and cinema
A red-carpet event at National City Hall will honour Nepal’s film sector as international and local screenings continue.
Sunday, 1 November: Nepal Panorama, youth films and awards
The selected Nepal Panorama films and Youth Video Challenge videos will screen at National City Hall, with announced competition awards and incentive prizes.
Additional venues and activities: Nepal Tourism Board will host filmmaking masterclasses and interactive sessions. Jai Nepal Cinema and Taragaon Next Museum are among the partner venues.
Tickets, Venues and Attendance
| Dates | 30 October–1 November 2026 (13–15 Kartik 2083) |
|---|---|
| Organiser | Kathmandu Metropolitan City |
| Films | More than 40 from about ten countries; 35 titles specifically identified here |
| Venues | Basantapur, National City Hall, Nepal Tourism Board, Jai Nepal Cinema and Taragaon Next Museum |
| Admission | Free; free reserved-seat tickets may be needed through Himalaya Pay |
Festival-goers should check the organiser’s latest announcements before visiting, because exact session times and seat availability may differ by venue.
Why the Festival Matters
Kathmandu’s new municipal festival gives short films, local independent work and international cinema an unusual shared public platform. Beyond film screenings, its combination of cultural heritage, professional discussions and youth awards could expand the city’s creative economy.
Its longer-term test will be whether it creates a sustained audience for independent films, gives emerging directors distribution opportunities and builds repeatable partnerships after the three-day programme ends.
