KATHMANDU: A total of 88 films from 40 countries will be screend during the 9th Nepal International Film Festival (NIFF) to be held in Kathmandu on April 2-6.

According to NIFF Chairperson KP Pathak, the films have been selected with a focus on the interests of the younger generation. He added that more than 800 films from over 80 countries were submitted for the festival.

“We have prioritized youth-centric films this year,” Pathak said. “To encourage young filmmakers, we have included sessions such as AI filmmaking workshops. Our main objective is to inspire hope among young audiences through cinema.”

Pathak added that this year’s selection includes feature films, short films, AI-generated films, and documentary films that have been screened at and have won awards at prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Shanghai, Locarno, Busan, and Goa.

The 9th NIFF will screen 10 films in World Panorama, four in South Asian Panorama, five in Nepal Panorama, 13 in NIFF Docs, 21 in International Shorts, nine films in AI Films, 20 films in National Shorts, and six in Student Shorts categories.

Documentary films that have been screened at and have won awards at prestigious international film festivals such as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Tribeca, Shanghai, Locarno, Busan, and Goa will also be screend at the 9th NIFF.

The winner of the Best International Feature Film at NIFF will receive the ‘Gautam Buddha Award’, which carries a purse of $1,500 and a trophy. Similarly, the winner of the Best National Film will take home a cash prize of Rs 100,000 along with a trophy.

The best film in the Documentary category will receive the ‘Mount Everest Award’, while the Best South Asian Feature Film and the winner in the AI film category will be honoured with the ‘Manjushree Award’. The Best International Student Short Film will receive the ‘Best Student Film Award’, while the winners of the National Short Film and National Documentary categories will be awarded the ‘Best National Short Film Award’ and the ‘Best National Documentary Award’, respectively.

In addition, trophies will be presented to the best director, actor, actress, screenplay writer, and cinematographer in the national feature film category, the organisers said.

The Nepal Film and Cultural Academy has been organising NIFF for the past nine yearswith the objective of connecting Nepali cinema to the global market.