HIMALAYA is bringing a taste of Himalayan cinema to the UK, uniting films from Afghanistan, Bhutan, China (Tibet), India, Nepal and Pakistan. Some are classics, some are new features coming to the country for the first time. The films show the many differences in culture, history and contemporary issues facing people in Himalayan countries, and at the same time some of the common experiences of life in the mountains. The Festival aims to raise awareness of Himalayan cultures in the UK, celebrating the ties between them, and promoting the idea of the Himalaya as a region.

HIMALAYA opens and closes with musical concerts, bringing traditional genres of the region such as qawwali together with modern fusions such as indojazz. The Himalaya Exhibition will also feature work from Himalayan artists and photography from across the Himalaya. The Exhibition echoes the films in portraying a region grappling with change, and the transition from traditional life to the modern world.