Nepal’s official Oscar submission Elephants in the Fog is making its mark at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and director Abinash Bikram Shah is using the film’s global platform to draw attention to the devastating floods that have hit communities back home. The film is the only Nepali feature at TIFF this year, screening in the festival’s Centrepiece programme. What makes this festival run different is how the team has turned international recognition into direct support for people affected by the Bhotekoshi floods in Nepal.
A Festival Journey With a Deeper Mission
The film, known in Nepali as Tiniharu, follows Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community living in a forested Nepalese village. When one of her daughters goes missing during a nightly patrol against wild elephants, Pirati’s world is shaken. The story explores family, identity, and belonging through the lives of Kinnar women who build their own communities in a society that often refuses to see them.
Lead actress Puspa Thing Lama comes from Nuwakot district, one of the areas hit hardest by the recent floods. Co-producer Prachanda Man Singh Shrestha, also from Nuwakot, lost his home in the disaster. The connection between the film’s story and the real-world crisis has given the team’s festival appearances a purpose beyond awards.
“There is something difficult about watching a film travel internationally while people close to it are dealing with the loss of homes and livelihoods,” Shah told Variety.
The production held a fundraising screening in Kathmandu on September 4, with all proceeds going to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund. The team also worked with the Zonta Club and Rotary Clubs to support children affected by the Bhotekoshi flooding.
Paris Screening Set for September 17
A special preview screening is planned at UGC Les Halles in Paris on September 17. The event is being held under the banner “In Solidarity with Nepal.” Nepal’s Ambassador to France is expected to attend. The film opens theatrically in France on September 23. Revenue received by the French distributor from the Paris screening will go to Nepal’s flood-relief fund.
“We know that a film cannot solve a disaster,” Shah said. “But cinema can gather people in a room, create attention and sometimes turn that attention into action.”
The floods have made the local release challenging. Shah acknowledged that asking people to go to cinemas is difficult when many are dealing with displacement and loss. Despite these obstacles, Elephants in the Fog entered its second week in Nepali theatres after opening on September 4, earning around NPR 69 lakh ($45,000) in its first seven days.
From Cannes History to Oscar Selection
Elephants in the Fog made history as the first Nepali feature selected for the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival. The film went on to win the section’s Jury Prize, a first for Nepali cinema. At its Cannes premiere, the film received an eight-minute standing ovation.
Nepal’s International Feature Film Selection Committee chose the film as the country’s official entry for the 99th Academy Awards after evaluating it alongside another Nepali film, Gauthali. The committee assessed both films on technical aspects, storytelling, character development, and artistic craftsmanship.
“To represent Nepal on this stage is a quiet, humbling honour,” Shah said in a statement. “This story was never mine to own, it belongs to those who carry their lives through the fog, unseen and unheard. Today, their existence step into the light, impossible to erase. That is the only victory that truly matters.”
Prime Minister Balendra Shah congratulated the team on social media. “Hearty congratulations to the entire team and many, many good wishes for the next journey,” he wrote.
The film also picked up three nominations at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards for Best Film, Best Director for Shah, and Best Actress for Puspa Thing Lama. The awards will take place on October 30 on the Gold Coast, Australia. Earlier, the film won both the Best Film Award and the Audience Award at the New Zealand International Film Festival.
The Real Crisis Behind the Film’s Mission
The Bhotekoshi floods of August 26 caused widespread devastation across Nepal’s Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river corridor near the Chinese border. Authorities have recovered at least 1,386 bodies across five affected districts, while more than 5,130 people remain missing. The missing include 587 foreign nationals and around 900 workers employed in hydropower tunnels.
A preliminary rapid damage and needs assessment puts Nepal’s total reconstruction requirement at about 723.3 billion Nepalese rupees ($4.8 billion). The Nepali government has decided to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 15,000 to affected families to help cover rent and essential expenses. The disaster relief fund has swelled to Rs 13.58 billion following contributions from within Nepal and abroad. Germany has announced assistance worth around €8 million for recovery efforts.
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International Distribution Expands
Sales company Best Friend Forever has closed distribution deals for the film across 14 territories. New agreements place the film with MetFilm Distribution in the U.K. , Filmin in Spain, Vedette in Benelux, Trigon in Switzerland, Lev Cinema in Israel, Jayantii in Australia, EFAR Films in India, PT Falcon in Indonesia, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines. An inflight deal with Silk Route rounds out the announcement. These join previously announced deals with Arizona Distribution and Les Valseurs Distribution in France, missingFILMs in Germany and Austria, Imovision in Brazil, and The Tea Folks Films for local Nepal distribution.
The film currently holds a 100% Tomatometer score on Rotten Tomatoes from 10 reviews. Its festival journey continues with stops at BFI London Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, Hamburg International Film Festival, and the Melbourne International Film Festival, among others.
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