The Delegation of the European Union to Nepal is back again with its 13th edition of Nepal European Union Film Festival 2024 (2024 NEUFF) with the theme “Fifty Years of EU-Nepal Relations: Celebrating Cultural Diversity.” This year’s festival is part of a series of events to mark the 50th anniversary of EU-Nepal diplomatic relations.

The opening of the 2024 NEUFF will take place at the CDC Cinemas, CTC Mall in Sundhara Kathmandu on 20 March and continue until 23 March in the same venue. Upsana Singh Thakuri has been selected as the brand ambassador for this year’s s Nepal European Union Film Festival (NEUFF).

Participation in the opening day of the film festival is by invitation only while other festival days will be open to the public. The award winning film ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ directed by Martin McDonagh will be screened on the opening day along with a Nepali film ‘Dhye Dreams’ directed by Shanta Nepali.

Our avid viewers and supporters need not be worried about missing the opening film as there will be a second screening of ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ on 22nd March at 1:30 pm. This film with several international awards to its credit is a simple but impactful plot delivered with the most beautiful and serene backdrop of the Irish countryside.

Each screening of the festival will have a ‘double bill’, one Nepali and one European film. A short film competition for young Nepali filmmakers was organised to select films for the festival. The director of the winning film along with one other young director, who are yet to be selected by the EU Delegation to Nepal will be travelling to Brussels in autumn to participate in a mirror festival of Nepali films. The ten Nepali films for the festival were selected through a film competition, which received a large number of entries from young filmmakers.

“I am happy to share the diverse culture, lifestyle and cinematic creativity of Europe with the Nepali audience in Kathmandu, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim as we mark the 50 years of EU-Nepal diplomatic relations,” said Dr. Joelle HIVONNET, Deputy Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal.

A total of nine European films and eleven Nepali short films will be screened during the festival. The European films include ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ (Ireland) directed by Martin McDonagh, ‘Miss Viborg’ (Denmark) directed by Marianne Blicher, ‘Mikado’ (Romania, Czech Republic) directed by Emanuel Parvu, ‘School Girls’ (Spain) directed by Pilar Palomero, ‘Luxembourg Luxembourg’ (Ukraine) directed by Antonio Lukich, ‘Servants’ (Czech Republic, Ireland, Romania, Slovakia) directed by Ivan Ostrochovský, ‘The Naked Truth About Zhiguli Band’ (Bulgaria) directed by Victor BojinovI, ‘Tove’ (Finland) directed by Zaida Bergroth and ‘The Beast’ (Spain) directed by Rodrigo Sorogoyen.

Similarly, the Nepali films to be screened in the festival are ‘Dhye Dreams’ directed by Shanta Nepali, ‘Divination’ (Aakhat) directed by Gopal Acharya, ‘Hawaman’ directed by Samal Bajracharya, ‘Kathmandu Monsoon’ directed by Nigma Gelu Sherpa, ‘Makhmali Udaan’ directed by Atin Shrestha, ‘Let’s Talk Period’ directed by Rajin Maharjan, ‘Rato Paccheuri’ directed by Miraz Roshan Thakuri, ‘Sanai’ directed by Akanchha Karki, ‘The Bull, the Cow, the Calf’ directed by Swoyan Maskey Manandhar, ‘The Mirage’ directed by Santosh Dahal and ‘Whril’ directed by Anil Kurmi.

The festival will travel to the Sudurpaschim province where screenings will continue in the hall of the Far Western University on the 10th and 11th of April. The next destination will be Lumbini province, where there will be screenings on 15 April followed by the Karnali Province where screenings will take place on the 19th and 2oth of April.

The Delegation of the European Union to Nepal is also organising a ‘Film Critics Competition’ which will culminate into the giving away of a ‘Film Critics Award’ for the best critic. The EU will publish a call for entry for the film critics competition very soon. The winner of the film critics competition will also be able to travel to Brussels in autumn this year to participate in the mirror festival of Nepali films.