Indie & Short Film Production Support in Nepal
INDIE FILM PRODUCTION NEPAL
MAKE THE FILM YOU CANNOT MAKE AT HOME.
INDEPENDENT FILMS · SHORT FILMS · STUDENT FILMS · ART FILMS · DOCUMENTARIES · MUSIC VIDEOS · EXPERIMENTAL · FILM SCHOOL & UNIVERSITY PROJECTS
You have the story.
Maybe you have the script, a camera, a small crew and a very clear idea of what the film should feel like.
What you may not have is the country.
Nepal can change that.
Mountains. Cities. Villages. Ancient architecture. Forests. Rivers. High-altitude landscapes. Extraordinary light.
And a production partner who knows how to make a small production work in a very big landscape.
WHY MAKE AN INDIE FILM IN NEPAL?
BECAUSE YOUR FILM DOES NOT HAVE TO LOOK LIKE EVERY OTHER FIRST FILM.
A story can begin in Kathmandu and end above the clouds.
A quiet character drama can sit inside an old neighbourhood.
A music video can move from contemporary city life into the Himalayas.
A student short can suddenly have a landscape that feels cinematic beyond its budget.
A documentary can follow real people rather than manufactured sets.
The location can become part of your authorship.
FOR FILMMAKERS WHO WANT TO GO FURTHER
SMALL CREW. STRONG IDEA. BIGGER WORLD.
You may be an independent director. A first time filmmaker. A cinematography student. A film school graduate. A university production team. An emerging producer. A photographer moving into film. An artist making a moving image project. Or a small creative team building its first serious portfolio.
You do not need a huge production company behind you to start.
You need the right people around the idea.
WHAT CAN WE HELP YOU MAKE?
SHORT FILM. DOCUMENTARY. MUSIC VIDEO. EXPERIMENTAL. COMMERCIAL STUDENT PROJECT.
Narrative shorts. Documentary films. Experimental films. Art films. Music videos. Fashion films. Graduation films. Thesis films. Portfolio projects. Spec commercials. Branded student productions. Small independent features.
If it needs a camera, a location and a production plan, start the conversation.
NEPAL CAN BE YOUR PRODUCTION DESIGN
NOT JUST YOUR BACKDROP.
Ancient courtyards. Kathmandu streets. Himalayan villages. Terraced hills. Dry mountain valleys. Dense forests. Rivers and gorges. Monasteries. Temples. Historic cities. Contemporary urban spaces. Open plains. Remote mountain roads.
The country gives an independent filmmaker an unusually large visual vocabulary.
AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO KNOW HOW TO GET THERE
THAT IS OUR PART.
Location research. Scouting. Permits. Local liaison. Casting. Crew. Equipment. Transport. Accommodation. Catering. Field logistics. Remote production support. Aerial requirements where appropriate.
We help turn the map into a workable production.
You concentrate on the film. We help make the film possible.
WHAT IF YOUR CREW IS ONLY FIVE PEOPLE?
THAT IS STILL A PRODUCTION.
We can support very small teams as well as larger independent productions.
A director, cinematographer, producer, sound recordist and one assistant can sometimes be enough to make something extraordinary.
The production should fit the film.
Not the other way around.
BRING YOUR OWN CREW. OR BUILD ONE HERE.
YOU CHOOSE HOW MUCH SUPPORT YOU NEED.
Bring your director and cinematographer.
Bring your camera.
Bring your entire creative team.
Or arrive with a script and build the Nepal-side production with us.
Local crew and technical support can be sourced around the project's actual requirements.
Where a specialist is needed beyond the local pool, we can explore bringing the right person from another production market.
No unnecessary departments. No unnecessary weight.
THE LANDSCAPE IS BIG. THE PRODUCTION DOESN'T HAVE TO BE.
WE KNOW HOW TO THINK SMALL WHEN THE FILM IS SMALL.
Independent filmmaking is often about decisions.
What do we really need?
Where should we spend?
What can we simplify?
What must be protected?
Where does the story need the money?
Our experience across commercial, documentary, television and independent production helps bring that practical thinking into smaller films.
Production value is not the same thing as production size.
YOUR FIRST FILM CAN STILL BE SERIOUS
BUILD SOMETHING YOU CAN TAKE INTO THE WORLD.
A strong short can become a calling card.
A graduation film can become a festival submission.
A documentary can become a research or impact project.
A music video can become a portfolio piece.
An experimental film can open a completely different creative direction.
Independent cinema has long been a place where distinctive voices are discovered. Sundance's short-film programme, for example, has used the form to showcase filmmakers who later became significant directors.
Make something worth showing.
FROM NEPAL TO THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT
THINK ABOUT THE FILM BEFORE YOU SHOOT IT.
Festival requirements. Rights and clearances. Music. Talent releases. Subtitles. Stills. Poster material. Production credits. Behind the scenes documentation. DCP and delivery requirements can all become important later.
We are not a festival submission service, but good production planning can make the next stage much easier.
The journey does not end when you wrap.
THE STUDENT & EMERGING FILMMAKER DOOR
BRING THE LETTER FROM YOUR SCHOOL.
Officially recommended student and university projects can be considered for special emerging filmmaker production support, including project specific rates or other practical assistance where the production allows.
The idea is simple:
If your institution believes in the project, we want to understand it.
Bring your recommendation. Bring your script. Let's see what we can do.
YOUR CLASSROOM CAN MOVE TO NEPAL
FILM SCHOOL. UNIVERSITY. COLLEGE. FIELD PROJECT.
A production can become part of a wider learning experience.
Students can work on location. Learn how a real production is organised. Understand permits and logistics. Work with local crew. Experience unfamiliar environments. And leave with an actual completed film rather than another classroom exercise.
For larger academic groups, Location Nepal's Global Learning platform provides a broader framework for faculty led and field-based programmes.
THERE IS A LOT OF EXPERIENCE BEHIND THIS
THIS DID NOT START WITH A WEBSITE.
Films & AdFilms, the parent company of Location Nepal, carries more than six decades of film production heritage in Nepal, beginning with the work of the late Gehendra Dhimal and continuing through generations of production experience.
Location Nepal has since supported international productions across commercials, television, documentary and feature work.
Gautam Dhimal brings another layer: photographer, filmmaker, producer, location specialist and someone who has spent years moving between the creative brief and the practical realities of making it happen.
That experience is particularly useful when your crew is small and every decision matters.
LEARN FROM THE PEOPLE AROUND THE FILM
SOMETIMES THE BEST THING WE CAN DO IS INTRODUCE YOU TO SOMEONE.
Through Location Nepal, its wider creative network and the Gehendra Dhimal Foundation, projects can sometimes connect with photographers, filmmakers, artists, educators, researchers and other practitioners whose experience can strengthen the work.
Not every film needs more mentors.
The right film sometimes does.
REAL EXPERIENCE. REAL PRODUCTIONS.
FROM INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIALS TO LARGE-SCALE FILM.
Location Nepal's production experience includes Our Girl for BBC One, Gap Year for Channel 4, Black Narcissus for Disney/FX/BBC, the Chinese feature Up in the Wind, Brazilian television series Joia Rara, and international commercial productions for brands including Panasonic, Samsonite, Powerade, Nippon Paint, Kellogg's and others.
These were very different productions.
Different countries. Different crews. Different pressures.
That range becomes useful when an independent filmmaker arrives with a completely different problem.
AND SOMETIMES THE FILM IS ABOUT NEPAL ITSELF
THAT CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING.
A story about a community. A personal journey. A changing landscape. A cultural tradition. A social issue. A mountain. A city. A person. A question that brought you here in the first place.
Projects can also connect naturally with the wider work of Gautam Dhimal, Gehendra Dhimal Foundation and the creative network around Location Nepal when the subject and purpose align.
You may come to Nepal to make a film. The film may become something much bigger.
YOU DON'T NEED TO HAVE EVERYTHING FIGURED OUT
SEND THE ROUGH IDEA.
A logline. A treatment. A screenplay. A moodboard. A reference film. A phone video. A paragraph.
Even:
“I have an idea. I think Nepal might be the place.”
That's enough to start.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can an independent filmmaker shoot a short film in Nepal?
Yes. Nepal can support small independent productions, from minimal crews to larger short-film operations, with location research, permits, crew, equipment and logistics arranged around the project's needs.
Is Nepal suitable for student film production?
Yes. Student, graduation, thesis and university film projects can be supported, particularly where the institution or faculty is formally involved.
Do you offer discounts for film students?
Officially recommended student and university projects can be considered for project specific support or preferential rates. We prefer to understand the film, its requirements and the institution's involvement before determining what support is possible.
Can we make a film in Nepal with a very small crew?
Yes. Small crews are welcome. Production planning can be built around the minimum practical team required for the story rather than automatically adding departments.
Can we bring our own camera and equipment?
Yes. International productions can bring their own equipment subject to applicable import, customs and filming requirements. Local equipment can also be sourced where appropriate.
Can you provide a cinematographer or local camera crew?
Where required, Nepal based cinematographers, camera assistants and other technical crew can be explored according to the project's visual and technical requirements.
Can you help us find unusual film locations in Nepal?
Yes. Location scouting can range from Kathmandu architecture and historic neighbourhoods to villages, forests, rivers, mountain roads, high altitude landscapes and remote Himalayan environments.
Can Nepal double for another country?
Potentially. Location suitability depends on the script, architecture, landscape, production design and what the camera needs to see. Nepal's geographical and cultural diversity can create several different visual worlds within one production.
Can you arrange filming permits?
Yes. Applicable permits and permissions can be researched and coordinated according to the locations and activities involved.
Can we shoot a student film in heritage locations?
Potentially, subject to the required permissions and site restrictions. Heritage locations require careful planning, particularly for equipment, crew movement, lighting, actors and staged scenes.
Can you help us cast local actors?
Yes. Local casting and extras can be coordinated where appropriate for the story.
Can we shoot documentary films and real stories?
Yes. Location Nepal can support documentary productions involving communities, culture, environment, development, research and other real-world subjects.
Can a music video be produced through this service?
Yes. Independent music videos can use the same production infrastructure: locations, permits, crew, equipment, transport and other requirements.
Can international students travel to Nepal for a film project?
Yes, subject to applicable travel and project requirements. Location Nepal can help with the Nepal-side production planning and logistics.
Can a university bring an entire film class to Nepal?
Yes. Larger educational groups are better developed through a structured academic programme, where curriculum, learning objectives, field logistics and production requirements can be planned together.
Can you help an emerging filmmaker make a festival ready film?
We can help with the production side and encourage planning for the eventual festival journey, including production documentation, rights and delivery considerations. Festival selection itself cannot be guaranteed.
Can we make a film in Nepal without a huge budget?
Yes, provided the creative ambition and production plan are realistic. One advantage of working with an experienced local production partner is being able to identify where resources genuinely matter and where the production can remain simple.
YOUR FIRST FILM DOES NOT HAVE TO LOOK LIKE YOUR FIRST FILM.
IT JUST HAS TO BE YOURS.
Come with the story. Come with the ambition. Come with the tiny crew. Come with the student recommendation. Come with the impossible location.
Let's see what we can make of it in Nepal.