Kathmandu —
Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) 2026 is set to take place from May 13 to 17, with organizers unveiling the names of the international jury members, Nepal Panorama jury and mentors for Kathmandu Doc Lab 2026.
Indian film programmer Dipti D’Cunha will lead the international jury panel. Based in Mumbai, she is a well-known figure in contemporary Indian and South Asian cinema. She served as artistic director of the Mumbai Film Festival in 2023 and 2024 and has collaborated with global festivals including the Venice Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and Red Sea International Film Festival.
Thai film archivist and programmer Chalida Uabumrungjit has also been named to the international jury. She is one of the founding members of the Thai Short Film and Video Festival and has served as director of the Thailand Film Archive since 2019.
Italian filmmaker Luca Bich joins the jury as well. He founded the Filmontagna Mountain Film Festival in 1992, which is now in its 34th edition, and currently serves as artistic co-director of the Cervino CineMountain International Film Festival.
Nepali writer Kumar Nagarkoti is another member of the international jury panel. Known for his experimental and contemporary literary works, Nagarkoti has gained strong recognition among younger audiences. His plays Coma, A Political Sex and Jhyalincha have also received international appreciation.
The Nepal Panorama jury includes filmmaker Nabin Chauhan, cultural and communications coordinator at Alliance Française Kathmandu Lucy de Barros, and film critic Reena Moktan.
Meanwhile, three international mentors have been announced for Kathmandu Doc Lab 2026: Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Anam Abbas, Bhutanese documentary director Arun Bhattarai and Indian documentary filmmaker Sarvnik Kaur.
Anam Abbas is known for documentaries such as Showgirls of Pakistan and Daag Daag Ujala. Her production In Flames premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023.
Arun Bhattarai has directed documentaries including Agent of Happiness, The Next Guardian and Mountain Man. His latest work, Agent of Happiness, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.
Indian filmmaker Sarvnik Kaur is recognized for documentaries such as Against the Tide and Soz: A Ballad of Maladies, which explore themes of climate, land, identity and communities through observational storytelling.
