About the Lab
A small lab, built for the region, by the region.
The Kathmandu Doc Lab is where South Asian documentary filmmakers develop their stories with mentors who understand the context, the constraints and the possibilities of making films in the region, and where they meet the international industry on their own terms.
Why the Lab exists
South Asia is full of stories. Getting them made is the hard part.
How we work
A lab built on care
In 2026, every participant, mentor and team member read our Community Agreement and Safer Space Policy aloud and signed it, inspired by BIPOC EURODOC and #DocSafe.
Filmmaker first
Wellbeing comes first, with a clear structure and safety protocols.
Community over competition
Peer support that grows into a network lasting well beyond the Lab.
Ethical collaboration
Fair partnerships, and zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment and abuse.
Built to last
We measure success by our filmmakers’ growth over years, not one pitch.
An initiative of the kimff Foundation
More than twenty-five years of mountain film, and a new chapter
The kimff Foundation runs the Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, Asia’s longest-running mountain film festival, since 2000. The Foundation started the Kathmandu Doc Lab to give South Asian filmmakers a place to develop their stories with mentors who know the region, and to connect them with international partners.
The Lab is run by a small team at the Foundation, with a group of advisors from the international documentary industry.
