The nominations for the ninth edition of the Nepal Film Technicians’ Awards (Nefta) were announced amid a function held at Hotel Annapurna in the Capital on Sunday.

At the event, last year’s romantic drama Classic was nominated for 19 awards including the Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Story. The film was directed by Dinesh Raut.

Similarly, Prem Geet has been nominated in 17 categories, while the Khagendra Lamichhane-starrer mega hit Pashupati Prasad received nine nods. Contending for the Best Director Award will be Dinesh Raut (Classic), Ram Babu Gurung (Kabaddi Kabaddi), Prem Geet (Sudarshan Thapa), Dipendra K Khanal (Pashupati Prasad), and Uzwal Ghimire (Wada No 6).

Similarly, actors Aryan Sigdel, Saugat Malla, Nazir Hussain, Daya hang Rai and Khagendra Lamichhane will contend for Best Actor Awards; while, actresses Namrata Shrestha, Keki Adhikari, Richa Sharma, Pooja Sharma and Menuka Pradhan have been nominated for the Best Actress Award. The function also saw a discussion on the issue of globalisation of the Nepali film industry.

Speaking during the function, Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat assured cine artists that the government will support the burgeoning Nepali film industry. “The government is ready to promote our film, culture and tradition globally. Nefta’s effort is very appreciable,” he said.

This year’s Nefta, slated to be held in Dubai on December 23, will felicitate cine artists under 31 different categories.