KIMFF Begins May 27; Opening Film ‘Shape of Momo’ to Premiere

The 23rd edition of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) will commence from May 27 to 31 at the QFX Chhaya Center in Kathmandu. This year, the festival will showcase over 50 films from 29 countries, while the Nepal Panorama section will feature stories reflecting contemporary Nepali society, organizers have announced. The international jury for KIMFF 2026 includes filmmakers from India, Thailand, Nepal, and Italy, and awards will be presented across various categories.

The festival will open with the Nepalese premiere of the film ‘Shape of Momo’, directed by Indian filmmaker Triveni Rai. The film depicts the life and identity struggles of Bishnu, who leaves her city job to return to her Himalayan village. To commemorate 70 years of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Switzerland, a special dialogue program titled “Alpine Alliance: A New Wave of Nepali Cinema” will also be held.

The international jury panel for KIMFF 2026 includes Indian international film programmer Deepti D’Cunha, Chalida Uabumrungjit, director of the Thailand Film Archive, Nepali author and poet Kumar Nagarkoti, and Luca Bicchi, director of the Cervino Cinemountain Festival in Italy. The jury will award prizes in categories such as Best Feature Fiction, Feature Documentary, Short Fiction, and Short Documentary.

This year, KIMFF will also host the second edition of the Kathmandu DocLab. Aiming to promote South Asian talent, mentors Anam Abbas from Pakistan-Canada, Arun Bhattarai from Bhutan, and Sarvnik Kaur from India will guide nine South Asian projects. Tickets are priced at NPR 150 for the general public and NPR 100 for students.