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First Nepali Cannes Jury Prize Won by “Elephants in Fog”

5/23/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Abinash Bikram Shah’s ‘Elephants in the Fog’ won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2026, giving Nepal its first Cannes award.
Shah said the win pulls the Kinnar community out of invisibility, as the drama follows Pirati, a matriarch in Thori near the India-Nepal border.
Shah’s film, co-produced with partners abroad, earned him a Cannes 2022 Special Mention for his short ‘Lori’, making him the first Nepali filmmaker to do so.

History

Historical Context

In 1999 Khyentse Norbu released The Cup, Bhutan’s first film submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It followed a fledgling industry that began with Ugyen India’s 1989 feature Gasa Lamai Singye and achieved commercial success the same year with Tshering Wangyel’s hit Rewaa. Government support since the mid-1990s has nurtured a growing Himalayan cinema platform.

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Story summary

Abinash Bikram Shah’s ‘Elephants in the Fog’ won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2026, giving Nepal its first Cannes award.
Shah said the win pulls the Kinnar community out of invisibility, as the drama follows Pirati, a matriarch in Thori near the India-Nepal border.
Shah’s film, co-produced with partners abroad, earned him a Cannes 2022 Special Mention for his short ‘Lori’, making him the first Nepali filmmaker to do so.

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