Set in Nepal’s Terai plains, ‘Elephants in the Fog’ follows Pirati, the leader of a marginalised Kinnar community, whose life spirals after one of her daughters disappears.
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Nepal’s ‘Elephants in the Fog’ has become the first film from the country to win an award at Cannes Film Festival, taking home Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at 79th edition of the event. The award was announced on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
The film was also the first Nepali production on the Un Certain Regard section, which runs parallel to the main competition for the Palme d’Or.
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‘Elephants in the Fog’ is written and directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, marking his feature directorial debut.
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The film takes place in Thori, a forested village in Nepal’s southern Terai plains. It follows the lives of transgender women living on the margins of their community.
The story centres on Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community. Her plans to flee and be with her lover fall apart after one of her daughters goes missing.
Members of queer and minority communities have acted in the film.
The film features Pushpa Thing, Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Bishwakarma, Shanti Giri, Gauri Malla, Maotse Gurung, Sanjay Gupta Dura, Mahima Nawabag, and Akanksha Karki.
It is a co-production between Nepali companies Underground Talkies Nepal and Jayanthi Creations, with partners from France, Germany, Brazil, and Norway.
Cinematography was handled by Noé Bach. The film editing credit goes to Andrew Bird and Paris J. Ludwig, with music by Frederic Alvarez.
Shah is not new to Cannes. His short film ‘Lori’ received a Special Mention at the 75th edition of the festival, making it the first Nepali short film to earn that recognition.
His previous writing credits include ‘Kalo Pothi’, ‘Highway’, and ‘Tatini’, all of which screened at various international festivals.
In August 2023, the project received a €40,000 production grant from the World Cinema Fund. In September 2025, it participated in the European Work in Progress programme and received a €30,000 post-production grant.
After the announcement, the Nepali team celebrated on stage. Actor Pushpa Lama draped the Nepali flag over director Shah following the win.
In his acceptance speech, Shah dedicated the honour to his team and said cinema has the power to illuminate invisible lives. “Our story is receiving recognition on this international platform, which means invisible issues have now become visible,” he said.
The top Un Certain Regard Prize went to Austrian director Sandra Wollner’s ‘Everytime’. Louis Clichy’s ‘Le Corset’ won the Special Jury Prize. Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset earned Best Actor for ‘Congo Boy’. Marina de Tavira, Daniela Marín Navarro, and Mariangel Villegas jointly won Best Actress for ‘Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno’.
The Un Certain Regard section is the second most important segment at Cannes after the main competition.
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