Cannes-Winning ‘Elephants in the Fog’ Named Nepal’s Official Entry for 99th Oscars
Nepali cinema’s remarkable international run has gained another major milestone. Abinash Bikram Shah’s Cannes-winning feature ‘Elephants in the Fog’, also known by its Nepali title ‘Tiniharu’, has been selected as Nepal’s official submission for the International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards.
The selection adds fresh momentum to a film that has already made history at Cannes, collected awards in New Zealand and secured three major nominations at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. Prime Minister Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah has also congratulated the team, extending his best wishes for the film’s journey ahead.
Nepal Chooses ‘Elephants in the Fog’ for the Oscars
Nepal’s International Feature Film Selection Committee announced the decision after considering two feature films submitted for the country’s Oscar entry this year: ‘Elephants in the Fog’ and ‘Gaunthali’.
According to the selection committee, the films were evaluated on their technical execution, storytelling, emotional depth, artistic presentation and their suitability under the Academy’s criteria.
Following the evaluation, ‘Elephants in the Fog’ was chosen to represent Nepal in the International Feature Film race at the 99th Academy Awards, scheduled for 2027.
The decision marks another significant international step for Shah’s first feature film, which has steadily emerged as one of the most internationally visible Nepali productions in recent years.
Prime Minister Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah has congratulated the team, extending his best wishes for the film’s journey ahead.
Prime Minister Balen Shah Congratulates the Team
Prime Minister Balen Shah joined the growing wave of congratulations following the announcement.
Sharing graphics highlighting the film’s Oscar selection and Asia Pacific Screen Awards nominations on social media, Shah congratulated the entire team and wished them success in the next stage of their international journey.
He also encouraged audiences to watch the film, which is currently screening in Nepal.
‘Elephants in the Fog’ opened in Nepali cinemas on September 4, following months of attention generated by its successful international festival run.
Three Major Nominations at Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The Oscar selection comes as ‘Elephants in the Fog’ prepares for another important awards event.
The film has earned three nominations at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, further strengthening its position on the international circuit.
‘Elephants in the Fog’ is nominated for Best Film, while Abinash Bikram Shah is in contention for Best Director. Pushpa Thing Lama has also been nominated in the performance category.
The film is among the most nominated titles of this year’s APSA alongside Japanese filmmaker Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s ‘All of a Sudden’, with both films securing three nominations.
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards ceremony is scheduled to take place on October 30 on Australia’s Gold Coast.
A Historic Journey That Began at Cannes
The international story of ‘Elephants in the Fog’ changed dramatically at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.
The film became the first Nepali feature to enter Cannes’ Official Selection and competed in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section. It went on to win the Jury Prize, delivering one of the biggest achievements for Nepali cinema on the global festival stage.
For director Abinash Bikram Shah, however, Cannes was familiar territory.
His short film ‘Lori’ had previously competed at Cannes in 2022 and received a special distinction, establishing Shah as a filmmaker to watch well before his feature debut reached the festival.
‘Elephants in the Fog’ continued its successful journey after Cannes.
At the New Zealand International Film Festival, it won both the Fresh Competition Award and the audience-voted Fresh Audience Award, adding further international recognition to its growing list of achievements.
Following its Cannes success, the film team was also honoured in Nepal by the Nepal Tourism Board and the Film Development Board with a cash award of Rs 250,000.
A Story of Love, Belonging and Chosen Family
At the centre of ‘Elephants in the Fog’ is Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community living in a Nepali village surrounded by forests visited by wild elephants.
Pirati dreams of leaving her current life behind and building a future with the man she loves. But that desire for personal freedom comes into conflict with the responsibility she carries toward the community that depends on her.
When one of the young women from the community disappears, Pirati is forced into a search that gradually becomes much more than a missing-person story.
Through her journey, the film explores questions of identity, love, family, belonging, social exclusion and the difficult choices that arise when individual desires collide with collective responsibility.
Rather than treating the community simply as the backdrop to the story, the film places its relationships, conflicts and sense of chosen family at the heart of the narrative.
What Happens Next in the Oscar Race?
Being selected as Nepal’s official entry is a major achievement, but it does not mean ‘Elephants in the Fog’ has received an Oscar nomination.
The film will now enter the Academy’s International Feature Film selection process alongside official submissions from countries around the world.
The Academy is scheduled to announce its Oscar shortlists on December 15, 2026. The final nominations for the 99th Academy Awards will be revealed on January 21, 2027.
The Oscars ceremony itself will take place on March 14, 2027, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Reaching the shortlist would therefore be the next major target for the Nepali film.
Whatever happens in the next stage, ‘Elephants in the Fog’ has already built an extraordinary first-feature journey.
From becoming Nepal’s first feature in Cannes’ Official Selection and winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize to collecting awards in New Zealand, earning three APSA nominations and now carrying Nepal’s hopes in the Oscar race, the film continues to place Nepali cinema on some of the world’s most closely watched stages.
