Nepalese feature film Elephants in the Fog has made history by becoming the first film from the country to be selected in the Un Certain Regard section of the Cannes Film Festival.
Written and directed by Abinash Bikram Shah, the film will compete at the 79th edition of the festival, scheduled to be held in France from May 12 to 23.
Un Certain Regard, a section introduced in 1978 that highlights emerging filmmakers and distinctive storytelling voices, runs parallel to the competition for the Palme d’Or and is widely regarded as the second most prestigious section at Cannes.
Elephants in the Fog follows a family living in a settlement affected by elephant attacks, focusing on the mother-daughter relationship, according to The Kathmandu Post.
The cast includes Pushpa Thing, Deepika Yadav, Jasmine Bishwakarma, Shanti Giri, Gauri Malla, Maotse Gurung, Sanjay Gupta Dura, Mahima Nawabag and Akanksha Karki.
The film is a co-production between Underground Talkies Nepal and Jayanthi Creations, with partners from France, Germany, Brazil and Norway. It is produced by Anup Paudel and Prachanda Man Shrestha.
Shah’s earlier short film Lori received a Special Mention at the 75th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Nepali short to earn that recognition. His previous writing credits include Kalo Pothi, Highway and Tatini, all of which have been screened at various international festivals.