26 films selected for second Kathmandu Horror Film Festival

Twenty-six films from 21 countries have been selected for the second edition of the Kathmandu Horror Film Festival. According to the organisers, the festival will be held from October 30 to November 1 at the Russian House in Kathmandu.

The films were selected from entries received through an international call and include horror, thriller, supernatural, dark fantasy and folklore-based works.

Of the selected films, eight are features and 18 are short films. Five of them are Nepali productions or co-productions. In the feature category, Suwarna Poudel's Australia-Nepal co-production 'Moksha' has been selected. Short films by Akash Dhimal, Rakshya Thapa and Bhimsen Lama have also made the cut. Films from countries including the United Kingdom, Serbia, Lebanon, Iran, Japan and Brazil will also be screened.

The Russian House, which has been a venue partner since the first edition, is providing the venue again this year. The Nepal Academy of Film and Culture started the festival in 2025.

The festival said it aims to encourage Nepali filmmakers to tell stories based on local folklore, myths and traditions. Festival director Rashik Pathak said that through the horror genre, filmmakers can raise issues of folklore, psychology, society and identity. He said this edition aims to connect Nepali filmmakers with foreign filmmakers.