‘Unko Sweater’ wins three honors at National Film Awards

KATHMANDU: Unko Sweater emerged as the biggest winner at the National Film Awards 2026, taking home three major honors, including Best Film.

The film’s director, Nabin Chauhan, won the Best Director award, while Miruna Magar was named Best Actress for her performance in the love story based on the multi-cultural settings of the eastern hills of Panchthar.

Veteran actor Nir Shah received the Best Actor award for his role in Paran. The film also won the Best Screenplay award for Yam Thapa and Deepak Acharya.

Koshedhunga won the Best Cinematography and Best Editor awards for Babu Shrestha and Nahakul Khadka, respectively.

Veteran actor Madan Krishna Shrestha was presented with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 375,000.

Ana Sharma and Bimochan Dawadi received Jury Awards in the female and male categories, respectively, for their performances in Ramitako Pirati and Jharipachhiko Indreni.

Eleven individuals were honored with Special Contribution Awards for their contributions to Nepal’s film industry. The recipients included Bishnu Gopal Shrestha, Dr Singh Gurung, Menuka Pradhan, Abhinash Bikram Shah, Rohit Rumba, Prakash Subedi, Anjila Tumbapo Subba, Laxmi Bardewa, Binod Sherchan, Shankar Pandey and Dinesh Sitaula (posthumously).

The Limbu-language film Naamchong won the Special Film Award, while the Newari-language film Indira Dhime Maicha was named Best Indigenous Film.

President Ram Chandra Paudel presented the awards at a special ceremony held at the Office of the President on Friday.

The winners were selected by a jury led by veteran actor Harihar Sharma. Other jury members included director Milan Chams, film technician Arun Thapa, actress Sarita Giri, and culture expert and professor Arun Gupto.