A Himalayan story about a grandmother’s songs and a granddaughter’s artificial intelligence software has landed a place at one of Asia’s key film financing events. Nepali director Bikash Subedi‘s debut feature Shirjara: Song of Grandmother is one of 24 projects picked for the 2026 Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (TGFM), and it is the only project from Nepal and the wider South Asian region on this year’s list.
The market runs from October 28 to October 30, 2026 at Port Studio, Tokyo Portcity Takeshiba, as part of TIFFCOM 2026, the content market tied to the Tokyo International Film Festival. Producer Subash Bhusal of Kingdom Network Pvt. Ltd. will present the project to investors and co-producers in Tokyo.
A Story About a Grandmother and an AI Engineer
The film follows a young artificial intelligence specialist who is building digital sensory technology designed to read human emotions. She travels to her ancestral homeland in Nepal with her grandmother, and the trip slowly changes the purpose of her work.
As the pair climb to an altitude of around 5,000 metres, the technical mission turns into something more personal. The emotional data she has been chasing, she begins to understand, may not sit in a server or a dataset at all. It may live in the memory, blood and consciousness passed down through her family.
Subedi’s film is described as a meta-modern spiritual drama with art-house leanings. It sets modern machine intelligence against Himalayan ancestral wisdom, and asks whether feelings can ever be fully reduced to data.
Only South Asian Pick in a Global Lineup
Organisers chose the 24 projects from hundreds of submissions sent in from around the world. The lineup includes work from filmmakers and companies with records at Cannes, Venice and Berlin.
Other selected projects include Singaporean filmmaker Boo Junfeng‘s Trinity, Kazakh director Adilkhan Yerzhanov‘s entry, a project from Indonesia’s KawanKawan Media (the company behind Cannes winner Tiger Stripes), Vietnamese filmmaker Diep Nguyen Hoang, and Brazilian director Matias Mariani.
Sharing a slate with these names gives the Nepali team a rare seat at the international co-production table. The selection was first reported by Ekantipur and Online Khabar.
Producer Subash Bhusal Gets a Pitching Slot
TGFM is holding its first-ever open pitch event on October 28, 2026. Ten producers and directors will present their projects at the IMAGICA Entertainment Media Services Screening Room #2 in Takeshiba.
Bhusal will pitch Shirjara in Part 1 of the event, scheduled for 16:00 to 16:50. Pascal Diot, an advisor to the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market, will moderate the session. The other four projects in that block are Japan’s Mahora, Japan’s Princess Zonof, The Land of Jinn (Indonesia and Kyrgyzstan), and Trinity.
Nepal America and Poland Share the Production
Shirjara is a co-production between Nepal, the United States and Poland. Kingdom Network represents Nepal, Facture LLC represents America, and Fikza Films represents Poland. Bhusal produces, while Chris Beruti serves as executive producer from the American side. Post-production work is planned in Poland.
Filming was scheduled to begin in February 2026. Subedi wrote the script himself, and the project marks his first turn in the director’s chair after years as a writer. His previous credits include Prakash, Pujar Sarki, Mahabhoj and the upcoming Dinesh Raut film Kumari.
Subedi spoke about the move to directing in an interview with Ekantipur:
“I was preparing for it from the beginning. This time I dared. I will tell something new and different.”
Mahesh Tripathi Is the First Announced Actor
Nepali actor Mahesh Tripathi became the first cast member confirmed for the film in January 2026. Tripathi has drawn attention for roles in Paran, Laj Sharanam, Pheri Resham Phiri and Halkara, and was busy shooting Jhinge Dau 2 at the time of the announcement.
Subedi said the team was keen to work with him:
“Mahesh has been in the news recently for his acting skills. We are excited to work with an actor like him.”
Film credit listings also name Luana Bajrami as a lead performer, with Artur Żurawski credited as cinematographer.
Why a Financing Market Matters More Than a Festival Slot
TGFM is not a screening event. It is a marketplace where projects that already have most of their budget in place meet the investors, sales agents and co-producers who can close the remaining gap.
Reports suggest Shirjara has already secured at least 60 per cent of its budget, which fits the profile TGFM looks for. Selected teams get scheduled one-on-one meetings, pitch slots and the festival’s backing, which acts as a quality signal for cautious funders.
Nepali cinema has mostly been financed inside the country and earned back through domestic box office and diaspora screenings. International co-production requires exactly the kind of relationships TGFM brokers, including partners who bring post-production facilities, festival access and territory-by-territory distribution.
A previous Nepali project shows what the market can lead to. Min Bahadur Bham‘s Shambhala was selected for the same Tokyo market in 2020 and won its best project award. The film went on to compete in the main competition at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival.
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Cannes 2027 Is the Target
The team is aiming for a Cannes premiere in 2027, according to reporting by Variety. Nepal’s Lens Nepal lists a 2027 release target for the feature.
An official theatrical release date has not been announced, and no distributor has confirmed a global rollout. The film is still without confirmed release plans for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia or India.
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