Something historic happened at Cannes this year. The 79th edition. It brought all the focus onto a Nepali film, pushing it onto the international cinema map in a way that just felt huge.
Elephants in the Fog . That’s the title. It didn't just compete; it actually walked away with one of the festival’s key honours. The Un Certain Regard Jury Prize. That’s massive for Nepal.
It’s Abinash Bikram Shah’s feature debut. He wrote and directed it all. And it landed in that specific category, Un Certain Regard, which is all about those emerging, distinctive voices.
The story itself is heavy. It’s set in Thori, a place tucked away in the southern Terai region of Nepal. It digs into the lives of transgender women living on the edges of society.
At the core of it, there’s Pirati, a matriarch of a Kinnar community. She’s grappling with a deep personal desire—wanting to leave her life and be with the man she loves—but that desire gets complicated when one of her daughters vanishes. It’s about balancing personal need and community responsibility. That’s the logline, really. Navigating that tension.
Shah spoke at the ceremony, and what he said felt like a punch. He talked about visibility. About how cinema can actually pull forgotten lives into the light. He said things like, “For so long, the lives of Pirati and her daughters, the communities and all the persons, who are in the East, have been kept invisible. By bringing our story here and by recognising it with this award, we have pulled those margins into the light. We have made the invisible visible.” It was a powerful statement, dedicating it to his team.
The film is packed with faces. Pushpa Thing, Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Bishwakarma, Shanti Giri, Gauri Malla, Maotse Gurung, Sanjay Gupta Dura, Mahima Nawabag, Akanksha Karki. A real ensemble.
And it’s not just a Nepali thing, not entirely. It’s a co-production. Underground Talkies Nepal and Jayanthi Creations are leading it, but you’ve got collaborators from France, Germany, Brazil, Norway too. That international backing is significant.
It’s not Shah’s first time on the big stage, though. He’s got a history. His earlier short, Lori , got a Special Mention at the 75th festival. That was the first Nepali short film to get that kind of recognition. And he’s got other writing work too. Kalo Pothi , Highway , Tatini . All that stuff has been seen internationally before.
Meanwhile, the festival itself had other big moments. The top honour for this year went to Austrian filmmaker Sandra Wollner for Everytime , a family drama about tragedy and fallout during a summer.
And there was the animated side too. Louis Clichy got the Special Jury Prize for Iron Boy . It’s an animated film about an 11-year-old boy in rural France. Clichy, who used to animate for Pixar stuff like WALL-E and Up , got his first solo directorial piece recognized this way.
Acting awards were also out there. Bradley Fiomona Dembeasset snagged Best Actor for Rafiki Fariala’s Congo Boy . And for the actresses, Marina de Tavira, Daniela Marin Navarro, and Mariangel Villegas shared the Best Actress award for Siempre Soy Tu Animal Materno .
It’s a lot happening. The visibility push, the international links, the raw story of the communities—it all came together in one moment at Cannes. It felt like more than just a film award. It felt like a shift.
Written by Gree News Team — Senior Editorial Board
Gree News Team covers international news and global affairs at Gree News. Our collective of senior editors is dedicated to providing independent, accurate, and responsible journalism for a global audience.
More from Movies
View All
Intersection of Art, Politics, and Public Morality at Film Screening
The buzz around the screening for ‘Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata’ was definitely something special that Tuesday evening in Delhi. It wasn't just about watching a movie; it felt like a convergence a mix of film fans, some political heavyweights, and a surprising amount of high-level government presence. P
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Chaos of Cinema: Volume, Competition, and the Shifting Market
The Friday arrived packed. June 12th. It wasn't just another day; it was a collision of cinema. Nine films, all hitting the screens at once. *Main Vaapas Aaunga*, Imtiaz Ali’s directorial effort. Then you had Kangana Ranaut’s *Bharat Bhhagya Vidhaata*. And the horror mixed in Vikram Bhatt’s *Haunted
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Janhvi Kapoor, Creature Horror, and the Dynamics of Industry Scrutiny
Janhvi Kapoor. right now she’s just... navigating things. you see those whispers in the industry? they always start small, a ripple that eventually becomes a wave, isn’t it? and this time, it feels like there's some actual movement happening. talks. rumors swirling around about what comes next for h
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Rawness of Grief: Public Reaction to Loss
The air just felt thick. That’s what hung over the news cycle these days. It started with Kumud Rane. It’s a messy aftermath. Pictures surfaces. Notes are dropped. People react. Not with polite distance, but with something raw, exposed. Salman Khan, for instance. He wasn't just watching the news; he
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Latest Headlines
Political Speculation and Internal Turmoil within the TMC
Fresh visuals surfaced of Sushmita Dev meeting Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. That kind of thing just kicks the speculation into high gear about her next move. It’s all about her potential entry into the BJP, right? This happened right after she stepped down from Rajya Sabha and walked ou
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
FIFA World Cup 2026: Structure, Geography, and the Official Match Ball
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is really starting to feel imminent now. It’s heading toward North America the USA, Mexico, and Canada are slated to host this massive global spectacle. People are talking about it constantly. It’s not just a standard tournament anymore. This time around, they’re throwing way
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Lionel Messi and Argentina's World Cup Journey in Group J
Argentina’s taking on Group J in this new setup USA, Mexico, and Canada it feels like more than just football now. It’s about that farewell, isn't it? Lionel Messi is chasing something special right now, playing out this final chapter with the Albiceleste against Algeria, Austria, and Jordan. There’
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Federal Judge Bars Nitrogen Gas Execution in Alabama
A federal judge just slammed the door shut on Alabama’s plan to use nitrogen gas for executing Jeffery Lee. Permanently barred it, ruling the method violated basic constitutional rights about cruel and unusual punishment. This decision dropped like a stone. It came just one day after an appeals cour
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Kerala Board Plus One Results 2026 Announcement and Checking Methods
The Kerala Board Plus One results for 2026 are finally coming today, June 10th. That’s when the Directorate of Higher Secondary Education will officially announce everything. Students who took the DHSE Kerala Class 11 exams in 2026 can start checking their scores now. You have a few places to look,
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Threats and Intimidation Against Former Judge Justice Gautam Patel
Chief Justice Surya Kant stepped in on the matter involving threats and intimidation aimed at former Bombay High Court judge Justice Gautam Patel. This happened while he was visiting the UK, raising the issue with India’s High Commissioner there. It came out of a report by The Times of India. The wh
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Intersection of Art, Politics, and Public Morality at Film Screening
The buzz around the screening for ‘Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata’ was definitely something special that Tuesday evening in Delhi. It wasn't just about watching a movie; it felt like a convergence a mix of film fans, some political heavyweights, and a surprising amount of high-level government presence. P
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Political Feud: Shivakumar vs. Kumaraswamy and the Vokkaliga Rivalry
A meeting that hasn't even happened is already sparking political sparring. Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar and Union Minister HD Kumaraswamy. It just underlines how bitter one of the state’s longest-running rivalries still is. Shivakumar was doing some outreach, a carefully choreographed exe
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Protest and Political Standoff in Mexico City Before the World Cup
A protest choked off an avenue leading right to Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium for hours on Tuesday. It was just days before that massive World Cup opening match. As football fans started flooding in, all those co-hosts the US, Canada, and Mexico you see the real mess happening back home. Thousands of
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Global Nuclear Arms Race: Spending, Capabilities, and Future Risks
Nearly eight decades since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And the world’s nuclear powers aren't slowing down. They keep spending more, modernizing faster, and experts are watching them move weapons out of storage and into potential use. It’s a real arms race happening right now. The nine states that hold n
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Chaos of Cinema: Volume, Competition, and the Shifting Market
The Friday arrived packed. June 12th. It wasn't just another day; it was a collision of cinema. Nine films, all hitting the screens at once. *Main Vaapas Aaunga*, Imtiaz Ali’s directorial effort. Then you had Kangana Ranaut’s *Bharat Bhhagya Vidhaata*. And the horror mixed in Vikram Bhatt’s *Haunted
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Stock Market Updates: June 10th Performance and Sector Analysis
Stock market updates today, June 10th. Everything turned sour in late trading Wednesday. Domestic equity markets basically gave up all those gains they managed to hold during the day. Heavy selling hit midcap, smallcap stocks, plus metals, realty, and financial names dragging the main indices into n
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Iran Football Team Travel and World Cup Arrangements
Iran’s football team is heading to Los Angeles, apparently. They announced Tuesday that they'll be flying there the day before their first group-stage game against New Zealand. It feels like a lot happening all at once. But where exactly will they be staying? They won't actually be in L.A. for long.
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
The Impact of Gen AI on Job Applications and Hiring Strategies
When you start looking for a job, everyone builds this whole structure: the résumé, that killer cover letter, tailoring it perfectly. The whole point was always that application could make you jump out from the crowd of hundreds of applicants. But honestly? Recruiters are starting to think that play
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team
Narendra Modi's Milestone: India's Longest-Serving Prime Minister
Narendra Modi just hit a huge milestone. India’s longest-serving elected Prime Minister. Forty-three hundred ninety-nine days in office now. That beats Nehru's record, which was the first one. Former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu spoke about it. He praised the leadership and everything Modi has done
Jun 10, 2026 by Gree News Team