Pushpa Thing Lama Wins Best Performance at APSA 2026 for ‘Elephants in the Fog’

Pushpa Thing Lama’s Debut Role Earns Best Performance at 2026 Asia Pacific Screen Awards

Nepali actor Pushpa Thing Lama has won Best Performance at the 2026 Asia Pacific Screen Awards for her role in Elephants in the Fog, adding another international honour to the film’s festival journey.

The award was announced at the 19th edition of the ceremony on Australia’s Gold Coast on October 30. Directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, the film is a co-production involving Nepal, Germany, Brazil, France and Norway.

Lama plays Pirati, the matriarch of a Kinnar community in a remote Nepali village near a forest inhabited by wild elephants. Pirati dreams of leaving with the man she loves, but the disappearance of one of her daughters forces her to confront a difficult choice between personal freedom and responsibility to her community.

The role marks Lama’s acting debut. Also a transgender rights activist, she brings her experience of community advocacy to a story about love, belonging and the search for a missing daughter.

Elephants in the Fog entered APSA with three nominations: Best Film, Best Director for Shah and Best Performance for Lama. The performance award recognises actors in a single category without dividing nominees by gender.

Following the announcement, Lama expressed gratitude for the recognition and thanked Shah and producer Anup Paudel for trusting her with Pirati. She described the award as a special milestone in her acting journey.

The APSA win follows the film’s Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Shah’s debut feature has since continued its international festival run, with screenings introducing audiences to its story and central performance.

For Lama, the award brings international recognition to her first screen role. For Elephants in the Fog, it adds an acting honour to a film already recognised for its storytelling.