Nepal Everest Film Festival Connects Nepali Cinema with Chinese Market

Kathmandu. The 'Nepal Everest Film Festival' organized with the objective of connecting Nepali cinema with the Chinese market is expected to take Nepali cinema to new heights in bilateral cultural relations. Filmmakers have described the festival as an important beginning for the expansion of the international market for the Nepali film industry.

At a program organized to share the experience of the festival, Karun Thapa, Chairman of Nepal AI Film Alliance and Everest Film Festival, informed that this campaign started about three years ago when Chinese citizen Li Hongshu (Shu-G) proposed to take Nepali films to the Chinese market.

He stated that out of 23 films sent from Nepal for the festival, 11 were selected, and finally, six films passed the Chinese censorship process. According to him, the films selected after passing the censor are 'Anjila', 'Chhakka Panja-5', 'Telabhisa', 'Mahajatra', 'Kabaddi-4', and 'Hostel'.

The festival was attended by Chairman of the Film Development Board Dinesh DC, then Chairman of the Directors' Society Janakdeep Parajuli, directors, producers, and artists. The Armed Police Force's artist team also presented Nepali cultural dances.

During the program, 'Kabaddi-4', 'Chhakka Panja-5', 'Mahajatra', 'Anjila', 'Telabhisa', and 'Hostel-3' were screened for seven days in Changsha, China. Participants said that the experience of Nepali films being screened in five halls at the same time was unforgettable for the Nepali team. The 'AI Film Making Conference' organized during the festival was also considered an important achievement.

Chairman Thapa said that China is at the forefront of AI technology, and the film festival provided an opportunity to exchange technical knowledge related to the use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking with the Nepali team.

He informed that the '2026 Nepal Everest Film Festival', recently held in Changsha and Hengyang cities of Hunan Province, China, has created new possibilities for the expansion of the international market for the Nepali film industry.

According to Chairman Thapa, this campaign began about three years ago when Chinese citizen Hongshu proposed to take Nepali films to China's vast market. He said that what started as a casual meeting has now become an important basis for Nepal-China film cooperation.

At the ceremony, Chinese Chairman Jiang Bo recalled that this festival has been completed after more than two years of tireless preparation since its initial conception in early 2021. The program was attended by Nepali filmmakers, including Chairman of the Nepal Film Development Board Dineshraj Dahal.