The deadline for submitting applications to the ‘Film Story Bank’ competition, a major highlight of the third edition of the Karnali International Film Festival—established under the main slogan “Let’s Travel Karnali, Let’s See Karnali”—has been extended. The revised timeline and detailed rules were made public during a special program held in Kathmandu, which featured Member of the House of Representatives, Gyanendra Shahi, as the chief guest. Former President of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Bhawani Rana, Member of the National Assembly Sabitri Malla, and former Minister Kunti Shahi attended as special guests.

Speaking at the event, Member of the House of Representatives Gyanendra Shahi shared that an agreement had been reached with the Karnali Province Government to allocate a budget of NPR 10 million (1 Crore) for Nepali film shooting. “The Karnali Province Government has promised us, and there is an agreement to allocate a budget of 1 Crore specifically for films this year,” he said. “I want to remind the government of that promise once again.” This innovative program has been brought forward with the aim of bringing the countless and original stories of the Karnali region to the silver screen, as well as encouraging local writers, youth, and creators to take up film writing.

Immediately after the competition was announced, requests poured in—especially from local creators, writers, and talents living in remote areas of the Karnali region—stating that additional time was required due to geographical difficulties, busy schedules, and the need for creative preparation. Consequently, the festival secretariat decided to extend the application window. Chakra Bahadur Chand, the Director of the Festival, clarified that this decision was taken to ensure that no eligible and talented creator misses out on this golden opportunity and to allow the stories to gain greater maturity.

Out of the stories invited from creative writers residing within the country and abroad, an expert jury panel will transparently select the top 15 outstanding stories. The organizers stated that these selected stories will be safely preserved in the festival’s ‘Film Story Bank,’ and the writers will be provided with specialized training in screenplay writing. Among them, the three best stories will be honored with cash prizes of NPR 50,000, NPR 30,000, and NPR 20,000 respectively, along with official certificates. Film producers and directors from both home and abroad will be invited to pave the way for commercial film production based on these stories. Furthermore, if a film production is finalized, the story writer will receive appropriate commercial remuneration along with due screen credit and consultation.

Nepali citizens of any age group living in Nepal or abroad can participate in the competition. A Nepali citizenship certificate or an identity card will be required to participate. The story must be entirely original, unpublished, written in the Nepali language, and compulsorily based on the culture, tradition, history, or social reality of the Karnali region. As per the established rules, submissions must include the story title along with a 3 to 5-line logline at the top, typed in MS Word. It must consist of a synopsis of at least 3 pages or a detailed concept development (development of idea) of a maximum of 7 pages. Participants must send their creations along with their identity card and a signed permission letter securing their story to the festival’s official emails within the revised final deadline of Mangsir 14, 2083 (November 30, 2026).

The results of the received stories will be published on Poush 16, 2083 (December 31, 2026), and those shortlisted will be provided with film scriptwriting training during the organization of the fourth festival in 2026. Calling upon all storytellers to participate with their invaluable creations in this mega-campaign to bring the soil, culture, and vibrant stories of Karnali’s society to the world stage, the festival secretariat has requested everyone to use the official website and email addresses for detailed information and story submissions.