The Cinema Times, Kathmandu – Nepal has made a proud mark on the global map as four Nepali cine professionals have been selected for Berlinale Talents, the highly respected creative platform of the Berlin International Film Festival. Chosen from an exceptionally competitive pool of 3,438 applications representing 120 countries, only 200 talents earned a place in the 2026 cohort. The selected Nepali talents are producer Ram Krishna Pokharel, costume designer Janaki Kadayat, director Ngima Gelu Sherpa and cine critic Reena Moktan.

 In its official announcement, the festival stated that the selected talents embody ‘Powerful, diverse voices shaping change through their work, from award-winning practitioners to bold new storytellers.’ Nepal’s representatives at the festival not only mark their personal milestones but also represent a broader step for Nepali cine fraternity on the international stage.

Ram Krishna Pokharel, selected in the producing category, is the founder of Icefall Production and has been active in both Nepali and international projects. He is not new to this arena, having previously participated three times in the Berlinale European Film Market, he sees Berlinale Talents as a vital space for meaningful connections and creative partnerships. His production portfolio spans acclaimed Nepali and international cinemas, including Oscar-qualified ‘The Silent Echo’ and Emmy-winning projects ‘A Mountain to Climb’, ‘Highway to Dhampus’ (French), Netflix’s ‘The Climb’, the Japanese production ‘Everest: Summit of the Gods and Liam Neeson starrer ‘Ice Road’, positioning him as one of Nepal’s most globally engaged producers. On the Nepali feature front, Icefall Production has produced ‘Katha 72’, ‘Halkara’, ‘Aina Jhyalko Putali’, ‘The Red Suitcase’ and Gurans.

Janaki Kadayat has marked a historic first as she has been selected under costume design, a category newly introduced by Berlinale Talents this year. With over a decade of experience, she views costume as a silent yet powerful narrative tool which defines character, emotion and cultural context without a single line of dialogue. She has crafted memorable visual identities for cinemas like ‘Aina Jhyalko Putali’, ‘Singhdurbar 2’, ‘Rajagunj’, ‘Mahapurush’, ‘Haribahadurko Jutta’, ‘Maitighar’,’Mahajatra’. She says the recognition is meaningful as costume design has long remained an overlooked department and it’s high time costume be accepted as the crucial part of cinema making.

Director Ngima Gelu Sherpa, a faculty member at Kathmandu University, returns to Berlinale Talents for the second time. Previously selected in Direction (2023), he now participates with his feature documentary ‘Tent City and I.’ It explores the transient world surrounding Everest Base Camp. Sherpa continues to shape Nepal’s documentary landscape through both teaching and practice. His directorial short film ‘As days Go By’(2024) was premiered at the Uppsala International Short Film Festival in Sweden.

Representing Nepal in the Critics category, Reena Moktan is a regular and influential voice, writing extensively on cinemas, theatre and music. A long-time contributor to Kantipur Daily, Reena is Vice-President of the Film Critics Society of Nepal. She has been actively involved in strengthening cinema criticism in the country, advocating for informed, ethical, and context-driven critique. Her work is known for its clarity, balance and depth as she consistently explores Nepali cinema not just as entertainment, but as a cultural and social mirror, paying close attention to storytelling, representation, expanding conversations beyond box-office success. She brings a sharp analytical voice to the international forum.

This year’s selection hints at the growing and glowing global presence of Nepal at international forums. Following last year’s selection of Sushant Shrestha and Sushan Prajapati, the inclusion of four new Nepali talents underscores the country’s rising creative confidence and expanding global resonance.

The program, beginning February 12 in Berlin, offers an immersive environment of masterclasses, workshops, in-depth discussions and high-level international networking, designed to foster collaboration and creative exchange among emerging and established voices in world cinema. This year’s theme, “Creating (and) Confusion- Cinema, Chaos and the Power.” reflects the platform’s commitment to challenging conventions and exploring cinema’s transformative potential. To date, Berlinale Talents boasts a global network of 10,000 alumni.