Kathmandu: Acting Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunita Dangol, has expressed that Nepal’s participation in the Cannes Film Festival this year was a proud moment for the nation. Speaking to media persons at Tribhuvan International Airport upon her return from the festival, she highlighted the significance of the event for Nepal.

According to National News Agency Nepal, the Nepali film ‘Elephant in the Fog (Tiniharu)’, directed by Avinash Bikram Shah, won the Jury Prize in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ category at the prestigious festival. This achievement has elevated the stature of the Nepali film and creative industry on the international stage. Dangol mentioned that the film received a standing ovation for seven minutes, which left the audience emotional following its screening.

Furthermore, the acting Mayor emphasized the opportunity to introduce the film festival organized by Kathmandu Metropolitan City at an international level through the Cannes Festival. She expressed the city’s intention to harness international knowledge, skills, and experience to achieve balanced development in the creative industry sector via the film festival.

Dangol, who was invited to France by David Lisnard, the Mayor of Cannes, also extended an invitation to Lisnard to participate in the upcoming Kathmandu Film Festival. It is noteworthy that both Cannes and Kathmandu are part of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) ‘Creative Cities’ film category.