0
Shares
Kathmandu – The 23rd edition of the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) has concluded after five days of screenings, panel discussions and cultural exchange programs.
This year’s festival featured over 50 films from 29 countries, along with exhibitions, dialogue sessions and curated storytelling programs highlighting diverse narratives from Nepal and around the world.
In the international competition section, “The Oldest Munro Bagger” won Best Feature Documentary along with a cash prize of USD 1,500. “The Anti Expedition” was named Best Short Documentary, receiving USD 1,000.
In the fiction category, “The Elysian Field” won Best Feature Fiction with a USD 1,500 prize, while “Ellie” received Best Short Fiction along with USD 1,000.
The international jury was led by filmmaker Deepti DCunha and included Chalida Ua Bumrungjit, Director of the Thai Film Archive, writer and poet Kumar Nagarkoti, and Luca Bich, director of the Cervino Cinemountain Film Festival in Italy.
Under the Nepal Panorama section, “My Mom is Body Builder” won Best Documentary and “Saanjh Ka Rangharu” won Best Fiction Film, each receiving NPR 100,000.
The Nepal Panorama jury included Lucie de Barros from Alliance Française Kathmandu, filmmaker Nabin Chauhan and journalist Rina Moktan.
The Audience Award, carrying a cash prize of NPR 100,000, went to Japanese filmmaker Sakamoto Junji’s “Climbing for Life,” a biographical film based on Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest.
This year’s festival opened with “Shape of Momo” directed by Triveni Rai. Special highlights included screenings of “Climbing for Life,” discussions on film censorship, and panels on the evolving landscape of Nepali filmmaking and mountain storytelling.
