Nepal’s film industry grows despite distribution and working-condition problems — Kathmandu Post
Nepal’s film industry is increasing box-office revenue thanks to demand for films about local society and culture, but its development is constrained by distribution conditions, low pay for screenwriters and the lack of protection for technical staff. As Kathmandu Post writes, Nepali films have outperformed Bollywood and Hollywood releases in the domestic market in recent years.
The author of the article, who works as a screenwriter in Nepal, notes that commercial success is mainly driven by social comedies and dramas designed to evoke a strong emotional response. At the same time, in the author’s view, arthouse cinema often seeks festival recognition but does not always find an audience in the country.
Overseas demand depends on distribution in Nepal
Australia, as well as countries where Nepalis travel to work or study, including the UAE, Qatar, Japan and Malaysia, have become important sources of revenue for Nepali films. According to the author, Australia is the second most important source of box-office revenue for Nepali films.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
At the same time, demand for overseas screenings, according to the author’s observations, depends on audience reactions in Nepali cinemas. The films “Purna Bahadur Ko Sarangi” and “Paran” initially did not attract significant interest from international distributors, but after they began drawing full houses in Nepal in the second week of release and later, distributors started contacting producers.
Distribution and working conditions
The author claims that multiplexes favor Bollywood and Hollywood productions, while Nepali films are assigned inconvenient screening times. According to the author, cinemas may remove local films from screening after just two days because of insufficient box-office receipts, which are also affected by the screening schedule. Alternatives are limited: local OTT platforms do not yet have enough subscribers, while single-screen cinemas are gradually disappearing.
The screenwriter also draws attention to low pay for writers and technical staff, informal employment and payment arrears. The author proposes introducing minimum labor standards, formal contracts, insurance and collective bargaining over pay. Other proposals include granting the film sector national-industry status to access grants, tax breaks and loans, introducing screen-time quotas for local films, and supporting script databases and programs for new writers. Nepal is also considering a new film law intended to replace the Film Act of 1969.
