The Nepal Film Technician Association (NEFTA) is organising the 11th award ceremony in Texas, the US next year on May 29, the association announced through a press statement released on December 4.

The award is being organised after a hiatus of two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The 10th NEFTA award ceremony was held in Kathmandu in March 2020.

The United States is the fifth foreign country where the award ceremony is being held. Previously the ceremony was held in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

NEFTA is collaborating with Aryan Films, Fame Nepal, and US Khabar for its 11th edition. The association is also working in collaboration with the Non-Resident Nepali Association and the Nepali diplomatic mission in the US, reads the statement.

Puskar Lama, chairman of NEFTA, says that the association’s primary goal in organising the award overseas is to expand the reach of the Nepali film sector.

The goal of the award is to further improve the 75-year-old diplomatic ties between Nepal and the US, the organising committee said in the statement.

A virtual meeting will be held on December 7 with filmmakers, organisers, and media personnel to further discuss the role NEFTA awards can play in promoting Nepali cinema abroad. However, the aim is not only to promote Nepali film industry abroad but also to promote Nepal as a location for foreign film productions, Lama said in the statement.

Films released in the fiscal year 2021-22 will be eligible for the 11th NEFTA awards.