From Cannes History to the Oscars Race: Nepal Selects ‘Elephants in the Fog’

KATHMANDU, NEPAL, SEPTEMBER 13, 2026

Nepal Selects ‘They: Elephants in the Fog’ for Oscars

Nepal’s International Feature Film Selection Committee announced on September 13, 2026, in Kathmandu that “They: Elephants in the Fog” (Tiniharu), written and directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, has been selected as Nepal’s official submission for the International Feature Film category of the 99th Academy Awards, which will be held in the United States in 2027. The film was chosen from two Nepali submissions—“They: Elephants in the Fog” and “Gaunthali”—after the committee evaluated their technical qualities, presentation of the story, emotional treatment of the characters and artistic craft according to Academy requirements.

Why ‘Tiniharu’ Was Chosen

According to the International Feature Film Selection Committee (Nepal), both submitted films underwent detailed study and evaluation.

The committee said it considered the films’ technical aspects, storytelling, emotional examination of the characters and artistic presentation before recommending “They: Elephants in the Fog” as Nepal’s official competitor.

The five-member Nepal selection committee is chaired by Laxminath Sharma, with Lokendra Parajuli ‘Kapil’, Gautam Dhimal, Jeevan Kumar Parajuli and Bikesh Subedi serving as members.

This Is an Oscar Entry, Not Yet an Oscar Nomination

The selection is an important achievement, but it is important to distinguish between being Nepal’s official Oscar submission and becoming an Oscar nominee.

Under the Academy’s process, countries and regions can submit films through Academy-approved selection committees for consideration in the International Feature Film category. For the 99th Oscars, the deadline for International Feature Film submissions is September 30, 2026.

The Academy is scheduled to announce its Oscar shortlists on December 15, 2026, followed by the official nominations on January 21, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards will take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles.

The Film Already Made History at Cannes

“Tiniharu” enters the Oscar race with one of the strongest international records achieved by a recent Nepali film.

In May 2026, the movie became the first Nepali feature film selected in the official selection of the Cannes Film Festival, where it competed in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section.

It did not return home empty-handed. Director Abinash Bikram Shah won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard, giving the film a major international honour and placing Nepali cinema under a global spotlight.

What Is ‘They: Elephants in the Fog’ About?

Set in a Nepali village surrounded by forests where wild elephants roam, the film follows Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community.

Pirati dreams of leaving her current life to be with the man she loves. But everything changes when one of her daughters goes missing. She is forced to search for her while confronting a difficult choice between her personal desire for freedom and her responsibility toward the family and community that depend on her.

The story brings together motherhood, chosen family, identity, social exclusion, love and responsibility, while wild elephants and the fog surrounding the village become important parts of the film’s visual and emotional world.

A Story Inspired by Nepal’s Kinnar Community

Shah has explained that his interest in the story developed during the Covid-era lockdown after he encountered social-media videos showing Kinnar women sharing moments from their lives.

He became interested in the community’s idea of chosen family—relationships formed through shared care, love and necessity rather than only through blood.

That eventually grew into the world of “Elephants in the Fog,” where Pirati’s relationship with her daughters sits at the heart of the story.

Wild Elephants Are More Than a Background

The elephants are not simply included to create danger.

The film is set around a community living close to forests where human-elephant conflict shapes everyday life. Villagers must protect their homes and fields as elephants move through the surrounding landscape, while the Kinnar characters face another kind of threat: rejection and discrimination from the society around them.

The film uses these two realities to explore who society fears, who it excludes and who is allowed to belong.

Pushpa Thing Lama Leads the Story

The film is led by Pushpa Thing Lama as Pirati, whose search for her missing daughter drives the central story.

The wider cast includes performers such as Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Bishwokarma, Aliz Ghimire, Sanjay Gupta and Aashant Sharma, with the film bringing its characters and community into a story rarely seen at this scale in Nepali cinema.

Its creative team includes cinematographer Noé Bach, production designer Mausam Agrawal, composer Frédéric Alvarez, editor Andrew Bird and sound designer Pedro Sá Earp.

A Nepali Story Built Through International Collaboration

Although rooted deeply in Nepal, “Elephants in the Fog” was made through international collaboration.

Cannes officially lists the film as a Nepal, France, Germany, Brazil and Norway production. Nepal’s Underground Talkies, led by producer Anup Poudel, is among the production companies behind the project, alongside international partners.

The film was developed over several years with support and participation through international film-development and co-production platforms before eventually reaching Cannes.

Abinash Bikram Shah’s Long Road to Cannes

The film is Shah’s first feature as a director, but his connection with major international cinema goes much further back.

He is an alumnus of programmes including Berlinale Talents, the Locarno Filmmakers Academy and the Asian Film Academy, and has worked as a writer and filmmaker on projects that reached major festivals.

Shah also co-wrote “Kalo Pothi: The Black Hen,” which became Nepal’s official submission for the Academy Awards years earlier. He was also involved as a co-writer on “Shambhala,” another film later selected to represent Nepal at the Oscars.

‘Lori’ Had Already Taken Shah to Cannes

Before “Elephants in the Fog,” Shah had already created history at Cannes with his short film “Lori.”

“Lori” competed in Cannes’ official Short Film Competition in 2022 and received a Special Distinction from the jury. That achievement made Shah the first Nepali director to have a film compete in Cannes’ official selection.

Four years later, he returned with his first feature film—and this time won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize.

From Cannes to Cinemas in Nepal

After its international festival success, “They: Elephants in the Fog” was released theatrically in Nepal in September 2026.

Ahead of the nationwide release, a special screening was also organised in Kathmandu to support people affected by the devastating Bhote Koshi flood. Money raised through the event was directed toward the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund.

The filmmakers had earlier explained that completing the required theatrical release was also important for continuing the film’s Oscar submission process.

Now Comes a Much Harder Competition

Being selected by Nepal is only the beginning of the film’s Academy Awards journey.

“Tiniharu” will enter a much larger international field as films from countries and regions around the world seek places on the Academy’s International Feature Film shortlist.

Under the schedule announced by the Academy, the next major moment will come on December 15, when the shortlist is announced. If “Elephants in the Fog” survives that stage, it will move closer to the final nominations announced in January.

From Nepal’s Forests to the World Stage

The significance of “They: Elephants in the Fog” goes beyond one Oscar submission.

A film centred on a Kinnar family living beside an elephant forest in Nepal has travelled from a locally rooted story to one of world cinema’s most prestigious festivals, won an important Cannes prize and has now been chosen to carry Nepal into the Academy Awards race.

Whether it ultimately reaches the final Oscar nominations remains to be seen. But its journey from Nepal to Cannes and now toward Hollywood has already opened another important chapter for Nepali cinema.