The Nepal-America International Film Festival (NAIFF) of Maryland, presented annually by the Nepal America Film Society, has unveiled the official lineup for its 2025 edition. Scheduled to run from June 26-29, the festival will take place at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, and Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. This year’s program will feature 30 films representing 14 countries, including both short films and feature-length works.
According to a statement from the Nepal America Film Society, the selected films were curated by a selection committee composed of filmmakers and film scholars from Nepal, the United States, and South Africa.
Highlights include several acclaimed Nepali films such as Shambhala (a 2024 Berlin Main Competition title) directed by Min Bahadur Bham; Pooja, Sir (which premiered at Venice in 2024) by Deepak Rauniyar; and The World’s Happiest Man (a Nepali production made in the U.S., 2025) by Binod Paudel. The lineup also includes an array of outstanding features, documentaries, and shorts from around the globe.
As in previous years, the festival will present two films under its Global Peace Film Festival sidebar: War Tails by director Olha Byrledianu and Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals by director Samuel George.
The DMV Close-Up section will feature A Christmas Bonus by Chaka Balamani, a filmmaker based in Prince George’s County, alongside several other short films from the Washington metropolitan region. Additional selections include the acclaimed documentary Devi by Subina Shrestha and We Are Inside by Farah Kassem.
Shambhala is slated to open NAIFF 2025 on June 26 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, followed by a red-carpet event featuring special guests and attending filmmakers. The festival will conclude at the same venue on June 29 with a screening of Pooja, Sir, followed by a red-carpet event and awards ceremony. The World’s Happiest Man will also be presented with a special red-carpet screening, featuring cast and crew from both the United States and Nepal.
In addition to film screenings, NAIFF 2025 will offer a range of special programs, including a roundtable discussion, a master class, and other events at the Brentwood Arts Exchange in Brentwood, supported by the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission. The festival is also backed by the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council and other partners.
“We’re proud to present films that reflect the richness of cultures and the strength of human stories—of struggle, resilience, and joy. Sharing these powerful narratives with our audience is what makes NAIFF so special. It’s a true celebration of storytelling for all of us,” said Festival Director of the Nepal America International Film Festival, Yubakar Rajkarnikar.
The full film lineup is detailed below:
Opening Film
1. Shambhala | 150 min | Nepal | Dir. Min Bahadur Bham
Closing Film
2. Pooja, Sir | 115 min | Nepal | Dir. Deepak Rauniyar
US Premiere
3. The World’s Happiest Man (Bhuthan) | 101 min | Nepal/USA| Binod Paudel
Global Peace Film Festival — SideBar Section
4. War Tails | 54 min | USA | Dir. Olha Byrledianu
5. Lithium Rising: The Race for Critical Minerals | 60 min | USA | Dir. Samuel George
Feature
6. Cartapesta: Carnival Of Fano – The Movie | 89 min | Italy | Dir. Andrea Lodovichetti
7. Ch’ul Be, Sacred Path | 70 min | Mexico | Dir. Humberto Gómez Pérez
8. Devi | 80 min | Nepal | Dir. Subina Shrestha
9. Ghamar Taj | 61 min| Iran| Dir.Hadi Zarei, Mehdi Zarei
10. Snow Leopard Sisters | 95 min | Nepal/UK | Dir. Ben Ayers, Sonam Choekyi Lama,
Andrew Lynch
11. We Are Inside| 180 min | Denmark, Lebanon, Qatar | Dir. Farah Kassem
DMV Close-up
12. A Christmas Bonus | 88 min | USA | Dir. Chaka Balamani
13. Dear Pra | 15 min | USA | Dir. Nitin S Adsul
14. The Cousin | 12 min | USA | Dir. Amitabh Joshi
15. The Last Wild Herd | 13 min | USA | Dir. Aayas Joshi, Anna Connors
Shorts
16. Circle | 10 min | Turkey | Dir. Ferhat Ertan
17. Clay Bird | 13 min | Nepal | Dir. Kiran Bhakta Joshi
18. Coop | 12 min | Saudi Arabia| Dir. Mujtaba Zaki Alhejji
19. Cow Killer | 25 min | Iran | Dir. Farhad Mohamadzadeh
20. Left-hander| 19 min | Russian Federation | Dir. Yuri Vladimirovich Kuzin
21. Maitighar | 15 min | Nepal | Dir. Marc Gurung
22. Moon Belly | 30 min | Mexico | Liliana K’an
23. Perfect Wall | 13 min | South Korea | Dir. Sea-Hoon Jeon
24. Rotten Blood | 17 min | Nepal | Dir. Durga Bahadur Karki (Sayad)
25. Ten out of the Ten | 7 min | Hungary | Dir. Imre Mazlo
26. The Goddess | 12 min | Nepal | Dir. Shankar Dhital
27. The Witness Tree | 15 min | Nepal| Dir. Niranjan Raj Bhetwal
28. Wagging Tale | 23 min | Nepal | Dir. Samagra Shah
29. Water Star Medicine | 8 min | USA | Dir. Dr. Lisa Spencer
30. What grows in Thari Maila’s vegetable garden? | 14 min | Nepal | Dir. Patrika Ghimire
For more information visit, www.nafilmsociety.org
