Kathmandu, November 17
The 14th European Union Film Festival concluded on Sunday at QFX Cinemas, Chhaya Center. The two-day festival saw full-house attendance at all screenings, with more than 1,800 viewers and over 5,000 people visiting the venue.
Nhooja Tuladhar from the British Council, one of the programme’s collaborators, opened the recognition segment. Together with the EU Delegation and UNESCO, the British Council co-hosted the Navigating Festivals, Funding and Co-Production Markets workshop, a roundtable discussion titled “What Next for the Film Industry?”, and a talk with filmmakers Abhimanyu Dixit, Ngima Gelu Sherpa, and Shanta Nepali, who recently visited the UK on a study tour.
This year, EUFF Nepal 2025 received more than 50 student film submissions, of which nine outstanding films were selected for screening by a jury comprising filmmakers Aishwarya Baidar, Sikuma Rai, and Rajeela Shrestha.
Three student films were recognised for their excellence, creativity, and powerful storytelling.
What Grows in Thari Maila’s Vegetable Garden?, directed by Patrika Ghimire, won the Best Student Film Prize. Grandma’s Magic Comb, by Nirakar Bhakta Rai, received a Special Jury Mention, and Abyss, by Akriti Dhungana, also received a Special Jury Mention.
EUFF Nepal 2025 is organised by the EU Delegation to Nepal in collaboration with embassies and cultural institutions representing EU Member States in Kathmandu and Delhi, including the Embassies of France, Germany, and Finland, the Austrian Embassy in New Delhi, and the Polish Institute in Delhi, as well as the British Council and UNESCO in Kathmandu.
The festival opened on Friday, 14 November, at Civil Mall, Kathmandu. Addressing the opening ceremony, Her Excellency Veronique Lorenzo, the EU Ambassador to Nepal, said, “The European Union Film Festival is, at its heart, a celebration of diversity. With 27 member countries, the EU stands as a living example that our differences don’t divide us—they enrich us. They make us stronger, more creative, and more tolerant of one another.”
The festival will continue in Pokhara on 22 and 23 November at QFX Trade Mall, Chipledhunga. All nine Nepali short films, six BAFTA-nominated shorts, and five European feature-length films will be screened during its Pokhara programme.
