Nepali film 'Elephants in the Fog' has added a new chapter to Nepal's film history by winning an award at the world-renowned Cannes Film Festival.
Avinash Bikram Shah's debut feature film won the Jury Prize under 'Un Certain Regard'. This is the first Nepali feature film to win an award at the Cannes Festival. With this, Elephants in the Fog has also become the first Nepali film to be selected in the 'Un Certain Regard' category. This category features films from around the world with diverse subjects and styles. The film is based on the environment of Nepal's Tarai region and tells the story of transgender women living on the fringes of society. The main character of the story, 'Pirati', is a leader of the transgender community, who wants to start a new life with the person she loves. But after a girl from the community goes missing, she is forced to struggle between her personal desires and her responsibility towards the community.
Director Shah expressed his happiness while receiving the award at Cannes, saying that he was able to bring the story of marginalized communities to the world.
The film features performances by Pushpa Thing, Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Vishwakarma, Shanti Giri, Gauri Mall, Maoist Guru, Sanjay Gupta Dura, Mahima Navbag and Aakansha Karki. The film was made in collaboration with production companies from Nepal, France, Germany, Brazil, and Norway. Director Shah is already known on the international stage. His short film 'Lori' had received a special mention at the 75th edition of Cannes, which was the first Nepali short film to receive that honor.
