KATHMANDU

Nepal International Film Festival (NIFF), which opened its call for entries back in July 2021, had received over 450 films from 52 countries from its various submission rounds. According to a press statement released by NIFF, the NIFF 2022 selection committee has carefully selected 89 films from 38 countries, comprising of 18 feature films, 55 short films and 16 documentaries across national and international competition programs.

With the intention of ‘celebrating global narratives’ at NIFF, the 2022 iteration of NIFF, the 5th installment since the event’s inception in 2018, in being held in Kathmandu from 24 – 28 March, 2022. NIFF 2022 will feature films from across genres, and the best films under each program will be awarded. The highest award being the Gautama Buddha Award for the Best Feature Film (International) involving a trophy and cash prize of US$ 1500. In addition to this, there are awards for short and documentary films in national and international segments, ranging from US$500 to US$ 750. Starting from 2022, NIFF has installed an award for the Best National Documentary Film, involving a cash prize of NPR 50,000 and a trophy as per the press statement.

With the goal of promoting Nepali culture and cinema in the global stage, NIFF has partnered with the International Federation of Film Societies (IFFS) and has installed a IFFS Don Quijote Award for the Best Feature Film.

To stimulate the Nepali film industry and provide acknowledgement to worthy recipients, NIFF will also award the best Nepali director, cinematographer, screenwriter, actor and actress from within the national competition. The winners will receive a NIFF trophy.

A list of selected films has been provided on the NIFF website, at www.niff.org.np/downloadable.