2nd Nepal Indigenous Film Festival 2026 Announces Award Winners
The 2nd Nepal Indigenous Film Festival (NIFF) 2026 concluded with an awards ceremony recognising outstanding achievements across short films, documentaries, Indigenous feature films and the Nepali Panorama section.
The festival celebrated filmmakers, actors, directors, writers, editors and other creative professionals for their contributions to Nepali and Indigenous cinema.
Short Film Awards
Tangsingh was named Best Short Film, while Chardam received the Best Short Film Jury Award.
Documentary Awards
Baldhyanggadhi won the award for Best Documentary.
Biratnagar Ke Prachin Rajbanshi was recognised as Best AI Documentary, while Tantrik Dance received the Best Documentary Jury Award.
Indigenous Feature Film Awards
A number of Indigenous-language films were recognised across several categories.
ROSH, a Magar film, received the award for Best Cinematography.
The Gurung film Tenokursi – Dhogbhet received two honours. Rajendra Khadka won Best Editor, while Ganesh Gurung (Subash) received the award for Best Writer.
Desan (The Epidemic), a Magar film, earned Bhola Sapkota the award for Best Supporting Actor.
Rojina Suwal won Best Actress for the Newari film Indira Dhime Maicha.
Niyara Subba of Sikkim received the Best Debut Director award for the Limbu film Numahangma.
Surendra Tuladhar was named Best Director for Indira Dhime Maicha.
The Newari production Jaye Lakhay received the award for Best Animation Film.
The Limbu film MUNDHUM: A Secret of Samsama received the top honour in the Indigenous Feature Film category, winning Best Film.
Nepali Panorama – Honor Awards
The Nepali Panorama section also recognised a wide range of films and artists.
Mirmire received the award for Best Story.
Nahakul Khadka won Best Editor for Koshedhunga, while Ramesh Budhathoki was recognised as Best Character Artist for Bigul.
Januka Biswakarma received the Best Supporting Actress award for Citamol.
Shyama Shree Sherpa won Best Debut Actress for the Sikkim production Tara (The Lost Star).
Miruna Magar was named Best Actress for Unako Sweater, while Nir Shah received the Best Actor award for Paran.
Saugat Malla received the Best Actor Jury Award for Citamol, while Najir Husen also received a Best Actor Jury Award for Gunyu Cholo.
Deepak Acharya was named Best Debut Director for Paran.
Samundra Bhatta received the Best Director Jury Award for Gunyu Cholo, while Nabin Chauhan won Best Director for Unako Sweater.
Unako Sweater also received the Best Film award in the Nepali Panorama section, making it one of the major winners of NIFF 2026.
The 2nd Nepal Indigenous Film Festival 2026 highlighted the diversity of Nepali cinema by providing a platform for Indigenous-language films alongside wider Nepali productions.
The awards recognised achievements in storytelling, acting, direction, editing, cinematography and filmmaking, while also celebrating the cultural diversity represented through Indigenous cinema.
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