Nepal's ‘Elephants in the Fog’ Makes History at Cannes, Wins Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard

Nepali filmmaker Abinash Bikram Shah created history at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival after his debut feature Elephants in the Fog won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard. The film is the first Nepalese feature to be selected in the festival’s official selection, putting the landlocked Himalayan nation on the global cinema map.

Set in a village on the edge of a dense forest, Elephants in the Fog unfolds in a landscape under constant threat from wild elephants. At its centre are four transgender women living at the margins of the community, surviving through ritual performances and by joining the village’s nightly elephant patrols. The story follows Pirati, the disciplined matriarch of the group, whose carefully maintained sense of responsibility begins to fray as she becomes consumed by the dream of leaving her life behind in search of something she sees as “normal”.

Previously, Shah's short film, Lori: Melancholy of My Mother’s Lullabies, premiered in competition at Cannes in 2022, where it received a Special Jury Mention. He also co-wrote Shambhala, which premiered in competition at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India ahead of the film's premiere, Shah had spoken about the inception of Elephants in the Fog. "The flicker of the story came during the time of lockdown," he told us. "I was mostly scrolling through my phone to avoid the horror of COVID. During that time, on TikTok, I saw this trans woman creating amazing videos — very joyful, very vibrant — giving a glimpse into the community and the lives they were living."

Everytime, an Austrian co-production directed by Sandra Wollner, won the top prize in Un Certain Regard. French actress Leïla Bekhti served as the jury president of the prestigious sidebar.