Nepal Picks Elephants in the Fog for Oscars
Nepal has picked Elephants in the Fog as its entry for the Oscars' best international feature race, where each country can submit one film, according to Variety.
The film is the sole Nepali title at the Toronto Film Festival. Toronto lists it as a North American premiere in its 2026 Centrepiece programme, a strand for notable films from around the world, according to TIFF. It is a co-production of Nepal, France, Germany, Brazil and Norway. A festival listing has it screening at 12:25 p.m. on Thu 10 at Scotia 11.
It is directed by Abinash Bikram Shah. Shah is a Nepalese writer, director and producer whose writing credits include The Black Hen and Shambhala, according to TIFF. The film was produced by Underground Talkies.
The story centres on Pirati, matriarch of a Kinnar community, a term used in South Asia for transgender and third-gender communities. She is played by Puspa Thing Lama. It is her first screen role after decades as an LGBTIQA+ rights advocate.
The film arrives with festival weight. It won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes, an award for distinctive work in the festival's second main selection. The Asia Pacific Screen Awards have nominated Lama for best performance, with nominations also for best film and best director.
Home audiences got it first. The film opened in Nepal on Sept. 4 and earned NPR69 lakh ($45,000) in Nepal in its first seven days.
What makes this stand out is how the team is using the release. Lama is from Nuwakot district. Co-producer Prachanda Man Singh Shrestha is also from Nuwakot and has lost his home in flooding.
The production held a fundraising screening in Kathmandu, with proceeds channelled to the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund. It also worked with the Zonta Club and Rotary Clubs on support for children caught in the Bhotekoshi flooding.
A Paris screening follows on Sept. 17, staged by the film's French production and distribution partners. Nepal's Ambassador to France is expected to attend. Distributor revenue from that screening will go to Nepal's flood-relief fund.
Sales continue alongside. Sales company Best Friend Forever has closed deals across 14 territories, according to Variety. New partners include 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, the Film Development Council of the Philippines and Silk Route for inflight.
