Elephants in the Fog (Tiniharu)

Director: Abinash Bikram Shah

An insight into the Nepalese trans Kinnar culture develops into a tense missing person drama with a compelling lead performance, leading to a spectacular finale. Won the Cannes 2026 ‘Un Certain Regard’ Jury Prize.

Every night the inhabitants of Thori, a rural village in Nepal, advance noisily amongst the encircling trees with torches ablaze to intimidate the forest elephants which sometimes rampage through their crops. Opening with a depiction of this ritual, the film then introduces the Kinnar community, comprising legally-recognised third gender (hijra) people, and their matriarch Pirati, who live in uneasy symbiosis with the other villagers. Although respected for her powers to bless, for which she’s in high demand at weddings, Piriti feels tethered in the village and prompts discord by conducting a sexual relationship with the wedding drum-master, which violates her Kinnar vows of chastity. When one of her adopted daughters (a wild child who flouts the rules and practices as a sex-worker in the nearby town) goes missing, Piriti determines to find out what happened in the face of mounting outrage. Boasting a monumental central performance by first-timer Pushpa Thing Lama (a leading trans social activist in Nepal), Bikram Shah’s debut feature Initially offers an insight into Kinnar culture, evolves seamlessly into a thrilling missing person drama and concludes with an unforgettable, mystical finale. Winner of the Cannes 2026 ‘Un Certain Regard’ Jury Prize.