"Elephants in the Fog" a Huge Success in Cannes
The international co-production “Elephants in the Fog” by Abinash Bikram Shah, funded by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, was honored today at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. The film celebrated its highly acclaimed world premiere on the Croisette just this Wednesday and is also among the debut films nominated for the Caméra d’Or.
“Elephants in the Mist” tells the story of Pirati, the matriarch of a community of transgender women in a remote Nepalese village surrounded by forests teeming with wild elephants. Caught between her desire for a self-determined life and her responsibility for her community, she faces an inner conflict when one of her “daughters” disappears. The 95-minute film marks the feature-length debut of Nepalese director Abinash Bikram Shah.
The film was produced as a German-led co-production by zischlermann filmproduktion in collaboration with Die Gesellschaft DGS, Les Valseurs, and Anup Poudel, with broadcast participation from ZDF/Arte. The Film- und Medienstiftung NRW provided 60,000 euros in funding for the project. Best Friend Forever has taken on worldwide distribution.
Walid Nakschbandi, Managing Director of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW:
“We are delighted about this award for ‘Elephants in the Fog’ in Cannes and extend our heartfelt congratulations to Abinash Bikram Shah and the entire international team. With great sensitivity and visual power, the film explores identity, community, and the desire for self-determination—while also offering a rare glimpse into the realities of life that are far too rarely depicted in cinema. The fact that such a bold feature film debut was invited to the Certain Regard section and is now also being honored in Cannes sends a strong signal for international arthouse cinema and the importance of creative co-productions. We are particularly pleased that producers from North Rhine-Westphalia—including Die Gesellschaft DGS from Cologne and zischlermann filmproduktion—are also part of this success.”