KATHMANDU: Acting Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Sunita Dangol has said Nepal’s participation in the Cannes Film Festival this year has become a moment of national pride and a major milestone for Nepali cinema.

She highlighted the success of the Nepali film Elephant in the Fog by director Abinash Bikram Shah, which won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section and received a seven-minute standing ovation at its premiere.

Dangol also said Kathmandu Metropolitan City aims to use international platforms like Cannes to strengthen creative industries and promote collaboration, including plans around the upcoming Kathmandu Film Festival.

She noted discussions with Cannes Mayor David Lisnard on cooperation, technical exchange, and linking cinema with broader creative fields such as music, fashion, and literature, through the UNESCO Creative Cities Network, where both cities are members.