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In 1998, the first Nepalese film, Simarekha (The Frontier), scored a record run at the largest cinema in Kathmandu, attracting filmgoers for months. Taking a différent standpoint from that of history books, this film portrays how Hindu colonists took over the Gurkha principality, then governed by a tribal chief, during the 16th century. The article studies several versions of this key event in the country’s history (chronicle, school textbook, theatre, novel) and analyses each version as a separate step in the process, culminating in its interpretation for the cinema. In the screen adaptation, events of the past are linked to more recent incidents, marked by violent ethnic demands. The film had a strong emotional impact on filmgoers who felt they were discovering a new truth about themselves and their past. By condensing the multiple narratives of a “multi-faceted” identity, these images allow each spectator to adjust the current context.