Maryland Gears Up for International Film Festival Next Week
NAIFF 2025 is scheduled to take place from June 26 to June 29 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, and the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland.
MARYLAND | NAIFF — The Nepal America International Film Festival, hosted annually by the Nepal America Film Society, is set to kick off its 2025 edition next week, bringing a global spotlight to South Asian and international cinema in Maryland.
NAIFF 2025 is scheduled to take place from June 26 to June 29 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, and the Greenbelt Cinema in Greenbelt, Maryland. This year’s edition will screen a total of 30 films from 14 countries, including both shorts and feature-length works. The films were selected from submissions by the selection committee comprising filmmakers and film scholars from Nepal, the United States, and South Africa.
The Festival includes acclaimed Nepali features — Shambhala (Berlin Main Competition title 2024) directed by Min Bahadur Bham, Pooja, Sir (Venice-premiered 2024) by Deepak Rauniyar, and The World’s Happiest Man (a Nepali film made in the USA, 2025) by director Binod Paudel — along with a host of other remarkable features, documentaries, and shorts from countries across the globe.
As in previous years, this year’s festival will include two films as part of the 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, directed by Prince George’s County-based filmmaker Chaka Balamani, along with a selection of other short films from the region. The acclaimed documentary Devi, directed by Subina Shrestha, and We Are Inside by Farah Kassem will also be screened during the festival.
Shambhala is slated to open NAIFF 2025 on June 26 at the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, following a red-carpet event featuring special guests and attending filmmakers. The festival will close at the same venue on June 29 with a screening of Pooja, Sir, followed by a red-carpet event and an awards ceremony. The World’s Happiest Man (Bhuthan) will also be showcased with a red-carpet screening, featuring cast and crew members from the United States and Nepal.
Besides the film exhibition, the NAIFF 2025 program will also include 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 supported by the Prince George’s Arts and Humanities Council and other valued partners.
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