elephant in the fog It has created history by becoming the first Nepali film to win an award at the Cannes Film Festival. The film won the prestigious Un Certain Regard Jury Award at the 79th edition of the festival.

Written and directed by Avinash Bikram Shah in his feature directorial debut, the film had already made headlines as the first Nepali title to be selected in the Un Certain Regard section, a category that runs parallel to the Palme d’Or competition and celebrates bold storytelling and emerging cinematic voices.

Based in Thori, a forest village in the southern Terai region of Nepal, the film focuses on the lives of transgender women living on the margins of society.

As per the official synopsis, the story revolves around Pirati, a leader of the Kinnar community, who wants to leave her current life behind and start afresh with the man she loves. However, her plans are disrupted when one of her daughters mysteriously disappears, forcing her to choose between personal freedom and her duty to the community she leads.

avinash bikram shah acceptance speech

While accepting the award on stage, Avinash Bikram Shah said that cinema has the ability to explore “shadows”.

“For so long, the lives of Pirti and her daughters, the communities and all the individuals who lived in the East have been kept invisible. By bringing our story here and having it recognized with this award, we have brought those marginalized to light. We have made the invisible visible,” she said, dedicating the honor to her team, who joined her at the event.

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about elephants in the fog

Elephants in the Fog stars Pushpa Thing, Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Bishwakarma, Shanti Giri, Gauri Malla, Mao Zedong, Sanjay Gupta Durga, Mahima Nawabag and Akanksha Karki in lead roles.

The film is a co-production between Nepalese companies Underground Talkies Nepal and Jayanti Creations with partners from France, Germany, Brazil and Norway.