‘Yeti International Nepali Film Awards: 2024’

The Yeti Nepali Association, UK successfully hosted the first-ever Yeti International Nepali Film Awards (INFA UK 2024) in London. The event took place on Saturday at the Greenford Town Hall, honouring the best actors, directors, and technicians in the Nepali film industry.

During the ceremony, Anmol KC and Keki Adhikari were awarded Best Actor and Best Actress for their performances in the films Farki Farki and Prasad 2, respectively. The award for Best Film was claimed by Jaari, while Upendra Subba won the Best Director award for his work on the same film.

List of Major Award Winners

• Best Actor: Anmol KC (Farki Farki)
• Best Actress: Keki Adhikari (Prasad 2)
• Best Film: Jaari
• Best Director: Upendra Subba (Jaari)
• Best Actor (Jury): Pradeep Khadka (Pujar Sarki)
• Public Choice Male Award: Paul Shah (Pujar Sarki)
• Public Choice Female Award: Jassita Gurung (Farki Farki)
• Best Negative Character: Arpan Thapa (Prasad 2)
• Best Story/Screenplay: Akash Baral (Dimaag Kharab)
• Best Male Playback Singer: Kali Prasad Baskota (Song: Chari Basyo – Jaari)
• Best Female Playback Singer: Samiksha Adhikari (Song: Boksiko Ghar – Bujhin Maile)
• Best Dance Director: Shishir Khatri (Song: Darshan Gare – Pujar Sarki)
• Encouragement Award: Garima Sharma (London to Paris)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Bhuwan KC (Award included a cash prize of NPR 55,000)

A total of 22 categories were awarded during the event, with films produced in 2023 vying for honours. Altogether, 56 films were evaluated by a jury consisting of senior artists Sunil Thapa, Gauri Malla, and Ujjwal Ghimire over a span of 26 days.

Distinguished Guests and Artist Participation

The event was graced by the presence of Acting Ambassador Roshan Khanal, key sponsors such as Raj Pandey and Dr. Raksha Thapa from Maya Events and Maya Supported Living, Councillor Lakshya Gurung, businesspersons Sunil Thapa, Abhishek Bhattarai, Bikash Nepal, Yeti President Pipla Dewan Pandey, General Secretary Tanka Bhattarai, and Deputy General Secretary Ashish Pant, among others, who presented awards to the winners.

Popular Nepali artists including Bhuwan KC, Gauri Malla, Anmol KC, Keki Adhikari, Jassita Gurung, Miruna Magar, Jiya KC, Sushant Khatri, Malina Joshi, Garima Sharma, Shilpa Maskey, and Prakash Shah made the event lively and entertaining with their participation.

Significance and Successful Organisation of the Event

Established in 1960, the Yeti Nepali Association, UK is Europe’s oldest Nepali social organization, and this was their first time hosting the Yeti International Nepali Film Awards. In the past, the association had organized film festivals showcasing a few movies, but this event marks a new milestone for the organization. Acting Ambassador Roshan Khanal appreciated the initiative, noting that such events help promote Nepali films abroad and provide further encouragement to artists.

The event was jointly hosted by Yeti General Secretary Tanka Bhattarai and Miss World Nepal 2011 Malina Joshi. Chief Coordinator of the event, Umeshraj Moktan, expressed gratitude for everyone’s support and mentioned that while the event faced challenges, it was a success, and future editions will see further improvements.

The technical aspects of the event were managed by KK Films and Media, along with sound engineer Hem Bista, while Sangiksha Films Entertainment coordinated the programme from Nepal. The event also saw special honours for senior singer Deep Shrestha and Lakhe Dance promoter Binod Chipalu, as well as the sponsors.

The Yeti Nepali Association, UK initiated this event with the aim of promoting the Nepali film industry and honouring the contributions of artists. The organisation is committed to making this award ceremony an annual event, celebrating excellence in Nepali cinema.