South Asian cinema has created a new history in the 79th edition of ‘Cannes Film Festival 2026’, the most prestigious platform of global cinema. ‘Elephants in the Fog’, the debut feature film written and directed by Nepal’s talented filmmaker Abinash Bikram Shah, has created a stir globally by winning the prestigious ‘Un Certain Regard Jury Prize’. This is the first time in the history of Cannes that a Nepali film not only got a place in this category, but also registered its name in the pages of history by winning the award directly in its very first participation. This category runs parallel to the main ‘Palme d’Or’ competition at Cannes.
Story of ‘Elephants in the Fog’
The story of ‘Elephants in the Fog’ is based on ‘Thori’, a small forest village situated in the southern Terai plains of Nepal. The film focuses on the experiences of transgender women who live in a society that does not accept them.
The film primarily revolves around ‘Pirati’, the head of a transgender community. Her dreams of running away and being with her lover are shattered by the disappearance of her daughter. As per the official synopsis, he must decide between his need for freedom and his duty to his community.
Abinash Bikram Shah’s acceptance speech
Abinash Bikram Shah said in his speech while accepting his award“For too long, the lives of Pirati and her daughters, those communities and all those who live in the East, have been ignored. By bringing our story here and being honored with this award, we have brought those marginalized people into the light. We have made the unseen visible.
Artists and Producers of ‘Elephants in the Fog’
‘Elephants in the Fog’ stars Pushpa Thing, Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Vishwakarma, Shanti Giri, Gauri Malla, Mao Zedong, Sanjay Gupta Durga, Mahima Nawabag and Akanksha Karki. It is co-produced by two Nepalese film production companies – Underground Talkies Nepal and Jayanti Creations – with collaboration from companies from France, Germany and Brazil.
Avinash Bikram Shah in Cannes
Cannes is not a new place for Shah; He won the ‘Special Mention Award’ for his short film ‘Lullaby’ in the 75th edition of this festival. With this, he became the first Nepali filmmaker to win this award. Earlier, he has written the story of films like ‘Kalo Pothi’, ‘Highway’ and ‘Tatini’.
Read this also: There was an uproar over Kangana Ranaut’s Mangalsutra look, the actress broke her silence on the viral photo.
cannes 2026 awards
Austrian filmmaker Sandra Wollner’s film ‘Everytime’ won the main ‘Un Certain Regard’ award. The film tells the story of a family on vacation, when a tragic incident changes their lives forever. Louis Clichy’s film ‘Iron Boy’ was awarded the ‘Special Jury Prize’. It is the solo directorial debut of Pixar veteran Louis Clichy; Before this, he had worked as an animator in films like ‘WALL-E’ and ‘Up’. ‘Iron Boy’ is a hand-drawn animated film that tells the story of an 11-year-old boy growing up in rural France.
Also read: ‘It’s too much!’ Anusha Dandekar gets angry after Karan-Tejashwi’s proposal, breaks silence on ‘mysterious post’ related to engagement
Bradley Fiomona Dembesse won the ‘Best Actor’ award for her performance in Rafiki Fariala’s film ‘Congo Boy’. Meanwhile, the ‘Best Actress’ award was jointly given to the three actresses who played the lead roles in Valentina Maurel’s family drama ‘Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno’ set in Costa Rica – Marina de Tavira, Daniela Marin Navarro and Mariangel Villegas.
Entertainment News Hindi Today only at Prabhasakshi