Nepali film director Dr Kapil Rijal has won the Best Director (male) award for his film Gauthali at the Red Movie Awards 2026 Autumn Edition in France, according to the awards’ official website. The recognition places a Nepali filmmaker among the winners of an international film competition and has been described as a boost to the prestige of Nepal’s film industry.
Recognition for Gauthali
The award honours Rijal’s direction of Gauthali. The Red Movie Awards named him the winner in its Best Director (male) category for the Autumn Edition of its 2026 awards. The result was reported by Nagarik News, which cited the awards’ official website.
The award announcement identifies both the filmmaker and the film associated with the win. It is an international recognition for Rijal’s work on Gauthali, although the available information does not provide further details about the film’s story, cast, production or release. Nor does it specify the date on which the award was announced.
The category is listed as Best Director (male), and the award belongs to the Red Movie Awards’ Autumn Edition for 2026. The competition was held in France, giving the recognition an international setting beyond Nepal’s domestic film industry. No additional information was provided about the other nominees or the selection process.
A moment of international recognition for Nepali cinema
Rijal’s win has been described as raising the prestige of Nepal’s film industry in international competition. The result brings attention to a Nepali director and a Nepali film through an award presented outside the country. It also adds an international accolade to the profile of Gauthali and its director.
The recognition comes in a category focused on directing, specifically the male director award. While the available announcement does not detail the judging criteria or explain which elements of Rijal’s work were singled out, the category win represents the award’s recognition of his direction of the film.
The result offers a clear point of recognition for Nepal’s film sector: a Nepali filmmaker has been named a winner at an international awards event in France. The announcement does not include further comment from Rijal or details of any ceremony, but it confirms the award and the film for which he was recognised.
For Gauthali, the Red Movie Awards result is an international milestone. For Rijal, it is a Best Director (male) win at the 2026 Autumn Edition. The recognition highlights the film and its director while contributing to the visibility of Nepal’s film industry in international competition.
