Shabana Azmi, Marco Müller Set for Inaugural Kathmandu Film Festival

Veteran Indian actor Shabana Azmi and film critic and historian Marco Müller are among the guests at the first Kathmandu Film Festival (KFF), which runs Oct. 30–Nov. 1 in Nepal.

Launched by Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the three-day event will screen 40 films from 14 countries across several strands: the International Panorama, Nepal Panorama Shorts, a program of restored Nepali features and open-air screenings. Filmmakers and artists from around Asia are also due to attend. The city, a UNESCO Creative City of Film, set up the festival to showcase Nepali and international independent cinema and to build cultural ties.

Marine Atlan’s Cannes premiere “La Gradiva” is among the international selections, as is Shahrbanoo Sadat’s “No Good Men,” which debuted in Berlin this year.

“The international panorama is a curated showcase of global, contemporary and independent cinema that represents powerful stories, unique voices and distinct cultural perspectives,” said Ramyata Limbu, KFF’s artistic director. “The Nepal panorama shorts feature diverse and compelling stories about Nepal by emerging local talent.”

Nepal’s film history gets a section of its own. A retrospective of restored titles from the 1970s and 1980s includes “Kumari,” credited as the country’s first color feature.

Yamagata, Japan, which holds the same UNESCO film designation as Kathmandu, is the focus of a separate shorts program. Organizers tied the showcase to the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Japan, and said it is meant to deepen links between the two cities.

Events are spread across venues including Basantapur, City Hall, the Nepal Tourism Board, Jai Nepal Cinema and Taragaon. Alongside the films, the lineup takes in a heritage walk, master classes and conversations with filmmakers, with prizes to be handed out in the youth video challenge and Nepal panorama sections. Screenings are free, though some events require booking ahead.

“Kathmandu is not just the city of its indigenous communities, whose culture and heritage are at its heart. It is also a city shaped by people from every corner of Nepal,” said Sunita Dangol, Kathmandu’s acting mayor. “Over generations, communities from across the country have brought their traditions, languages, art, music and stories to Kathmandu. That coming together is what makes this city so vibrant and unique.”

Organizers are pitching KFF as a festival for the general public, one that links the city’s heritage with present-day cinema and the global film community.

“Nepal has been through a profound tragedy with the floods, and in moments like these, stories become even more important,” Dangol said. “They help us make sense of what we have experienced, connect with one another, heal and find the courage to move forward.”