Nepal has scripted cinematic history at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Director Abinash Bikram Shah’s debut feature Elephants in the Fog (Tiniharu) won the prestigious Un Certain Regard Jury Prize on May 23, 2026 — making it the first Nepali film ever to win an award at Cannes, and the first to be selected for the festival’s official Un Certain Regard section.
What is Elephants in the Fog (Tiniharu)?
Elephants in the Fog — known in Nepali as Tiniharu (तिनीहरू), meaning “They” or “Those” — is a Nepali drama-thriller written and directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, in his feature film directorial debut. The film had its world premiere at the Salle Debussy at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May 2026.
Set in Thori, a remote forested village on the edge of Nepal’s southern Terai plains, the story unfolds against a landscape under constant threat from wild elephant attacks. At the heart of the film are four transgender women — members of Nepal’s legally recognised Kinnar (Meti) community — who live at the margins of the village, surviving through ritual performances and by joining the community’s nightly elephant patrols.
The story: Pirati and the dream of belonging
The film centres on Pirati, the disciplined and fiercely responsible matriarch of the group. Having built a fragile but stable life for herself and her chosen family within the village, Pirati begins to unravel when she becomes consumed by the dream of leaving it all behind in search of something she considers “normal” — a life of conventional belonging, free from the margins she has always occupied.
As wild elephants encircle the settlement night after night, and as Pirati’s longing deepens, the film weaves a powerful meditation on chosen kinship, identity, resilience, and the cost of invisibility. Members of the actual Kinnar transgender community acted in the film, bringing an extraordinary authenticity and emotional depth to the story.
“Cinema has the power to see even through darkness. For our story to reach this festival and receive such recognition means the invisible has been made visible.” — Director Abinash Bikram Shah, after winning the Jury Prize
Historic win at Cannes 2026
The Un Certain Regard Jury Prize was announced at the Debussy Théâtre on Friday evening, May 23, 2026. The award is considered the second-highest honour in the Un Certain Regard section, which runs in parallel with the main Palme d’Or competition and spotlights bold, distinctive cinematic voices from around the world.
The main Un Certain Regard Prize (best film) went to Austrian director Sandra Wollner’s grief drama Everytime. A Special Jury Prize was also awarded to Louis Clichy’s hand-painted animated feature Iron Boy.
Following the announcement, the Nepali cast and crew celebrated emotionally on stage at the Debussy Théâtre. Lead actor Pushpa Thing Lama draped the Nepali national flag around director Shah, as the audience erupted in applause — a moment that was widely shared across social media and celebrated back home in Nepal.
Cast and crew
| Role | Name |
|---|---|
| Director & Screenwriter | Abinash Bikram Shah |
| Lead Actor (Pirati) | Pushpa Thing Lama |
| Cast | Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Bishwokarma, Aliz Ghimire, Dura Sanjay Gupta |
| Cinematography | Noé Bach |
| Editing | Andrew Bird & Paris J. Ludwig |
| Music | Frederic Alvarez |
Production and international co-production
The film is a co-production between Nepali companies Underground Talkies Nepal and Jayanthi Creations, with international partners from France, Germany, Brazil, and Norway. The project received a €40,000 production grant from the World Cinema Fund in August 2023, and a €30,000 post-production grant through the European Work in Progress programme in September 2025. World sales are being handled by Best Friend Forever.
Following its prize at Cannes, Sony Pictures Classics acquired all rights for the film in North and Latin America, as well as for India and Southeast Asian television — a major commercial breakthrough for Nepali independent cinema.
About director Abinash Bikram Shah
Abinash Bikram Shah is no stranger to Cannes. His short film Lori: Melancholy of My Mother’s Lullabies (2022) received a Special Mention at the 75th Cannes Film Festival, making it the first Nepali short film to earn recognition at the festival. His previous writing credits include acclaimed Nepali films Kalo Pothi (The Black Hen), Highway, and Tatini, all of which screened at international festivals.
With Elephants in the Fog, Shah becomes the first Nepali director to win a prize at Cannes, cementing his place as one of South Asia’s most important emerging filmmakers.
Why this win matters for South Asian cinema
Nepal has long existed on the margins of global cinema. The country’s films have rarely broken through to major international festivals, making this win a watershed moment — not just for Nepal but for South Asian independent filmmaking as a whole. The film’s focus on the Kinnar transgender community, told from within that community, also marks a significant step forward for queer representation in world cinema.
The film was also nominated for the Caméra d’Or (best debut feature) and the Queer Palm at Cannes 2026, further reflecting its broad impact at the festival. Its reception signals a growing global appetite for bold, authentic stories from South Asia that exist outside the mainstream film industry centres of Mumbai and Chennai.
Elephants in the Fog — key facts at a glance
• Original title: Tiniharu (तिनीहरू) | Language: Nepali
• Genre: Drama-Thriller | Country: Nepal (co-production)
• Award: Un Certain Regard Jury Prize, 79th Cannes Film Festival, May 23, 2026
• Setting: Thori village, Terai plains, southern Nepal
• Theme: Kinnar/transgender community, identity, chosen family, resilience
• Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics (Americas, India, Southeast Asia TV)
Sources: The Hindu, Indian Express, Hollywood Reporter, Kathmandu Post, Asian News Network, Homegrown India. Published May 2026.