The 2nd International Horror Film Festival in Kathmandu: Light Against Darkness

Kathmandu,

Today, 30 October 2026, the Russian House in Kathmandu hosted the grand opening of the 2nd Kathmandu Horror Film Fest (KHFF). The festival is organized by the Nepal Film and Cultural Academy (NFCA) together with Cinemakers, and for the second year running the Russian House welcomes it under its roof and supports it.
 
For the occasion, the Russian House Hall has turned into a properly spooky space: hands and legs stick out of mirrors, spiders hang everywhere, and something creepy lurks in every corner.
 
The ceremony was opened by:
⦁ Chairperson of the Film Development Board Nepal Mr. Manish Pandit, Chief Guest of the festival
⦁ Counsellor of the Russian Embassy in Nepal, Head of the Rossotrudnichestvo Representation in Nepal Ms. Anastasia Khokhlova
⦁ Chairperson of the Nepal Film and Cultural Academy Mr. K.P. Pathak
⦁ Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Nepal Mr. Yasuharu Shinto
⦁ First Secretary at the Embassy of Pakistan in Nepal Mr. Waqas Ahmed
⦁ Festival Director Mr. Rashik Pathak
 
The traditional lamp, lit by the guests, became a symbol of light dispelling darkness: the hall went dark, and then the lamp lit it up again. Pianist Sarthak Manandhar performed works by Tchaikovsky and Kornelyuk, followed by the Nepali Lakhey dance.
 
Ms. Khokhlova thanked the organizers led by Mr. Rashik Pathak, the volunteer team and the Russian House staff. She noted that the festival remains a unique event for Nepal. The Russian House and NFCA cooperate well beyond KHFF: NFCA has been one of the main organizers of the Nepal International Film Festival for many years, and this year the Russian House is one of its official venues. We hope to continue our cooperation.
 
Just recently, Roskino shared great news with us. Out of dozens of foreign participants in the international film pitching "Cinema as a Tool Against Future Shock," only two became finalists: representatives of Nepal and Iran. The pitching is part of the 3rd International Symposium "Creating the Future," where young authors present film and series projects about the future to an expert jury. The final takes place on 12 November at the National Center "Russia." A representative of Nepal won the opportunity to continue in the symposium. We hope to send him and his team to Russia to develop cooperation, learn more about filmmaking and share the unique national expertise of our Nepali colleagues.
 
The Russian House will keep supporting young filmmakers together with NFCA, helping them reveal their talents and build international networks.
 
This year's program features 26 films from 21 countries: 8 features and 18 shorts from every continent. Russia is represented by the competition short "A.L.I.C.E." by Maxim Chebotarev and "The Wind" by Sergey Chliyants, which recently won one of Russia's most prestigious film awards. The film's executive producer, Alexander Ostroverkh-Kvanchiani, travelled from Russia to attend the opening. "The Wind" is not a horror but rather a philosophical drama with a touch of Tarkovsky. It screens on 31 October at 10:00 AM, free entry, for the first time in Nepal, and the executive producer will introduce the film before the screening.
 
Opening film: "In This Darkness I See You"
Directed by Nadim Tabet (Lebanon, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia). Tarek, a young Syrian deserter, finds work at a construction site near a Lebanese village, where strange events begin to unfold. Tabet uses the ghost-story genre to explore the fraught Lebanese-Syrian relationship and a past that refuses to stay buried. In the director's words, despite its dark subject the film is above all a love story.