Kathmandu, May 21
The Nepali film Elephants in the Fog received an 8-minute standing ovation at its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
Directed and written by Abinash Bikram Shah, the film premiered on Thursday morning. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes festival.
The director, cast, and production team were all present at the premiere.
Film distributor Patrick Subedi, who attended the premiere, said, “The audience stood and showed their respect for more than 8 minutes. The entire hall rang with applause. It was an unforgettable, deeply emotional moment. Elephants in the Fog is making history for Nepali cinema on the world stage at the Cannes Film Festival.”
Immediately following the premiere, international media began publishing reviews of the film. Variety wrote an overall positive review, praising the director for humanising the transgender/intersex (Kinnar) community.
Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s Acting Mayor Sunita Dangol was also among the guests who watched the film at the premiere.
Nepal’s Minister of Information and Communication, Bikram Timilsina, conveyed official congratulations and best wishes from the government via social media while the premiere was underway in Cannes.
Minister Timilsina stated that the film has contributed to establishing the Nepali film industry on the international stage, adding that the Nepali Government is fully committed to promoting and developing high-quality, creative films capable of competing on international platforms in the days ahead.
“I am confident that the Nepali film sector will continue to achieve such remarkable milestones and further strengthen its presence on the global cinematic stage,” he said.
Elephants in the Fog is set in a small Nepali village deep within a forest inhabited by wild elephants. It follows Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community, who dreams of escaping into a more ordinary life. When one of her daughters disappears, she is forced to investigate and to choose between love and responsibility.
