The Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival (KIMFF) held its curtain raiser event alongside a panel discussion on ‘Monetisation and Market for Nepali Cinema’ in Kathmandu on Thursday.

Held at Nepalaya Hall in Kalika Marga, three voices from Nepal’s growing film industry—Nabin Chauhan, director and writer of ‘Oonko Sweater’, Anusha Khanal, documentary producer at Herne Katha and acclaimed filmmaker Nischal Basnet shared their insights on the challenges and opportunities in monetising Nepali cinema and growing its market. Film critic Reena Moktan moderated the discussion.

Chauhan said his first experience with the film industry has been “very positive,” countering the narrative that the market is too difficult. The debut director credited YouTube as a valuable tool for building a brand and market presence. “YouTube has helped a lot in building a brand and showing market presence. But to divert those YouTube views to the theatre has been a challenge,” he said.

He also stressed the importance of understanding the audience’s desires while making films and called for collective efforts rather than individual attempts to strengthen the industry. “We repeatedly hear only a few names working to take this industry to new heights. But we need efforts from every side,” Chauhan said.

He also emphasised that filmmakers stay true to themselves and “deliver emotions with honesty” while making films.

Filmmaker Basnet pointed out that the Nepali film industry is “open and welcoming,” with heavy investments being made in it every year. However, the industry still faces financial difficulties, with even low-budget films now costing over Rs10 million.

He highlighted the potential of the digital and diaspora market, including platforms like NetTV and YouTube, for generating profit. However, he warned that simply making a film is not enough—filmmakers must also focus on financial strategy and audience behaviour. “When I was starting out, I used to think simply making a movie was enough. But it’s not. There are other various factors to consider,” he said.

Basnet also addressed piracy issues on OTT platforms, sharing his own experience from the film ‘Behuli from Meghauli’. To combat piracy, Basnet’s team had to disable several features on the MSM video streaming platform, including the option to play movies on TV via mobile device connections. This limitation frustrated viewers who felt dissatisfied about not accessing the full features despite having paid for the service. “I don’t think we can fully transition to OTT yet, because of bugs and piracy threats. But we will see what happens in the future,” he said, adding that Nepali audiences must develop the habit of paying for content.

Basnet also stressed the need to focus on local audiences first and improve the theatre-going culture, including restoring the number of operational cinemas, which has dropped from around 500 to 200. He also emphasised government support and the value of Nepal’s natural beauty in attracting international filmmakers. “Policy makers still see us as entertainers, which makes me very angry. Films aren’t only for entertainment; these projects are life-affirming. They capture our values, struggles, dreams and cultural identity,” he added.

Khanal, documentary producer at Herne Katha, said YouTube remains underappreciated and underutilised in Nepal’s film ecosystem. “Accessing YouTube is difficult, and when people hear ‘YouTube’, they look down on it,” Khanal said.

While discussing whether Nepali films should push harder for platforms like Netflix and Prime Video, Khanal emphasised that Nepal must strengthen its local market and platforms first, before aiming for global platforms like Netflix. “We should nurture our market first, and only then can we think higher,” she said.

The discussion made it clear that while challenges remain—like piracy, poor infrastructure, and weak audience payment culture—the industry has promising prospects if it can adapt to digital platforms, create high-quality content, and work together as a community.