Kathmandu, June 11 -- A group of Nepali artists, filmmakers, and cultural workers has issued a strong statement condemning the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival's (KIMFF) recent programming decisions, accusing the festival of contributing to the erasure of Tibetan identity. The critique focuses on KIMFF's choice to refer to Tibet as "Xizang," a name advocated by the Chinese government, and to exhibit films under the "Xizang Panorama" banner, which the signatories describe as state-sponsored propaganda.

The group's statement, which was widely shared by the International Campaign for Tibet on X, underlined their belief in the power of storytelling to challenge prevailing narratives and stand up for individuals whose voices hav...