Kathmandu is preparing for a three-day celebration of cinema, with Kathmandu Metropolitan City organising a film festival on Kartik 13, 14 and 15. The festival will begin on Kartik 13 with a heritage procession at Basantapur, one of the capital's most historic ceremonial spaces, before events and screenings unfold across four major venues in the city: the National Assembly Hall, the Nepal Tourism Board, Jay Nepal Cinema Hall and Taragaon. According to reports in Rato Patti and Nagarik News, the metropolitan city has assembled a broad network of partners for the event, with Jay Nepal Cinema teaming up on screenings, Agni Group and inDrive backing transport, and the American and Australian embassies in Kathmandu, UNESCO and Alliance Française involved in international film relations.
A Heritage Procession to Open the Festival
The choice of Basantapur for the opening day sets the tone for the three-day event. The festival will formally begin on Kartik 13 with a heritage procession through the historic square, which sits at the heart of Kathmandu's old city and has long served as a stage for royal ceremonies, festivals and public gatherings.
By anchoring the opening to one of the capital's best-known heritage sites, the organisers are placing the festival's identity squarely at the intersection of cinema and the city's cultural legacy. The procession will bring the festival out of the screening halls and into a public space, allowing residents and visitors to gather at the very centre of Kathmandu before the programme shifts to the city's formal venues.
Four Venues, One Citywide Celebration
Rather than confining the festival to a single location, Kathmandu Metropolitan City has spread the programme across four venues over Kartik 13, 14 and 15, giving the event a citywide footprint.
- National Assembly Hall: one of the capital's premier institutional venues, set to host events during the festival
- Nepal Tourism Board: the country's flagship tourism promotion body, whose premises will also be part of the festival circuit
- Jay Nepal Cinema Hall: a dedicated cinema venue, expected to be central to the screening side of the programme
- Taragaon: a venue in the capital with a strong cultural reputation, rounding out the four-site lineup
The multi-venue arrangement means festival-goers moving between events will experience different corners of the capital over the three days. It also signals the scale of the metropolitan city's ambition: rather than a single-hall showcase, the festival is being staged as a broader civic event involving several of Kathmandu's most prominent cultural and institutional spaces.
The Kathmandu Metropolitan City, as the organiser, is the driving force behind the festival, and the use of public and civic venues across the city underscores the municipal body's role in shaping the capital's cultural calendar.
Jay Nepal Cinema to Partner on Screenings
The screening component of the festival is being delivered in partnership with Jay Nepal Cinema. The company, which operates the Jay Nepal Cinema Hall among its venues, will partner with the metropolitan city on the films shown during the three days.
With a dedicated screening partner attached from the outset, the festival's core programme of film viewings is being placed in the hands of an experienced cinema operator, while the metropolitan city coordinates the wider festival framework, venues and ceremonies.
Local Backing and an International Dimension
The festival has drawn support from both the private sector and international cultural institutions, giving it a two-track character of local backing and global engagement.
On the domestic side, Agni Group and inDrive are supporting transport for the festival. With events spread across four separate venues in the capital, from the National Assembly Hall to Taragaon, transport support will play a practical role in keeping the three-day programme running smoothly for participants and guests moving between sites.
On the international side, four institutions are involved in the festival's film relations: the American Embassy in Kathmandu, the Australian Embassy in Kathmandu, UNESCO and Alliance Française. The involvement of two foreign missions alongside two globally recognised cultural organisations points to an outward-looking dimension for the festival, connecting the Kathmandu event to international film networks and cultural exchange.
UNESCO's participation is particularly notable given its association with the preservation of heritage, a theme that resonates with the festival's opening heritage procession at Basantapur. Alliance Française, a long-standing promoter of French language and culture, and the diplomatic missions of the United States and Australia round out an international lineup that spans diplomatic and cultural spheres alike.
Three Days of Cinema at the Heart of the Capital
With the dates fixed for Kartik 13, 14 and 15, the festival promises to give the capital three consecutive days of film-centred programming, from the opening heritage procession at Basantapur to events at the National Assembly Hall, the Nepal Tourism Board, Jay Nepal Cinema Hall and Taragaon.
The combination of a municipal organiser, a dedicated screening partner in Jay Nepal Cinema, transport backing from Agni Group and inDrive, and the cultural and diplomatic engagement of the American and Australian embassies, UNESCO and Alliance Française positions the festival as one of the more broadly supported film events on the capital's calendar. For three days this Kartik, the focus of Kathmandu will be on the big screen.
