Kathmandu: The grand opening of the 9th Nepal International Film Festival (NIFF) gathered hundreds of guests in the Russia House in Kathmandu on April 2. This event turned Kathmandu into the true film capital of South Asia for five days from April 2 to 6. The festival, which has become a key platform for Asian cinema over eight years, showcased 88 films from 40 countries from Cannes, Berlin, Tribeca, and Locarno laureates to world-class Nepali premieres.
According to the Russian House, the NIFF 2026 program impressed with its diversity: family dramas, epic sagas, arthouse, and thrillers. An absolute must-see recommended is “My Daughter’s Hair” (1h 49m, April 2), an emotional family drama about generational legacy through the lens of love and choice. The Nepali epic “Gunyo Cholo” (128 min, April 3) , an epic saga about honor and traditions where ancient customs clash with modernity. And the psychological thriller “Tel Visa” (154 min, April 5, in two parts) keeps you in suspense until the last minute, reminiscent of Hitchcock masterpieces. “The Prophet. The Story of Alexander Pushkin”, a film about the great poet who became a symbol of Russian culture.
Films that were specially mentioned were “White Snail” (1h 55m, April 3), Locarno laureate, turns the theme of loss into a poetic visual trance. The comedy “I Accidentally Wrote a Book” (97 min, April 4) combines laughter with deep immersion in creative processes. The festival finale on April 6 will feature the Nepali action film “Kosedhunga” (127 min, in two parts), a perfect grand closing with a powerful emotional finale.
The Russian House in Kathmandu and Roskino are official information sponsors of the festival. This unique cultural exchange presents contemporary Russian cinema to the Nepali audience for free, marking the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and Russia through cross-cultural storytelling. Starting April 3, the special Days of Russian Cinema program begins exclusive screenings of Russian blockbusters and arthouse films outside the main competition.
This marked an important step in cultural exchange, giving the Nepali public a chance to discover high-level Russian cinema. At the screenings organized by ROSKINO as part of the Nepal International Film Festival (NIFF), you can see: war drama based on Vladimir Bogomolov’s novel “August”, teen life dramedy “The Worst of All”, the world’s first film shot in space “The Challenge”, engaging family animation “Doctor Dinosaur”.
The opening was a true celebration of film history done by honorary guest Chaitya Devi Singh, star of “Kumari” (1977), Nepali’s first first color film and VGIK graduate. Singh congratulated the NIFF team, expressed gratitude to participants, and confirmed full support for the festival, emphasizing the connection of generations in Nepali cinema.
The hall gathered representatives of Kathmandu’s diplomatic corps from ambassadors, counselors, and attaches. Among which Russia was represented by Rinchen Rakshaev, Charge d’Affaires of the Russian Embassy, and Anastasia Khokhlova, Counselor of the Russian Embassy and Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo Representative Office.
