Fifteen organizations that work for the welfare of the Tibetan community in exile have said that they are deeply troubled by the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival’s (KIMFF) decision to program a ‘Xizang Panorama’ section screening Chinese propaganda films. This choice represents more than a curatorial misstep—it signals how easily respected cultural institutions can become participants in China’s efforts of cultural erasure, they said in a statement.  

For over a decade, KIMFF has distinguished itself as a vital platform for mountain voices. The festival’s commitment to exploring “issues ranging from the political determination of mountain communities, to the emergence of identity politics” has made it a beacon for authentic storytelling from some of the world’s most contested landscapes. 

This year’s theme, “Fractured Voices, Framing Narratives,” promised continued dedication to amplifying those perspectives, they said. Instead, the festival has handed narrative control to the very forces seeking to silence those voices. When KIMFF programs Chinese state-sponsored narratives about Tibet, it participates—however unwittingly—in this cultural diminishment. 

The festival transforms from a platform challenging dominant narratives into an amplifier of state propaganda, legitimizing efforts to rewrite Tibetan history through a Chinese lens, they said in a statement. This represents a fundamental betrayal of the festival’s stated mission. KIMFF can scarcely claim to showcase “fractured voices” or reclaim fragile narratives while accepting uncritically the framing imposed by Communist Party power.