Elephants in the Fog (Tinīharū)

When a young trans woman disappears while patrolling wild elephants, her Kinnar community is distraught. Pirati, the Pirati’s matriarch, is determined to find her.

In a remote Nepalese village surrounded by forests and roamig with wild elephants, Pirati is the matriarch of a Kinnar family, a third-gender community whose members are equally revered and marginalised in Nepal. When one of her daughters disappears during a night patrol, Pirati is forced to investigate, confronting the indifference of the authorities and tensions within her own community. At the same time, she dreams of abandoning her responsibilities to begin a new life with the man she loves, despite her community’s vows of celibacy.

Tying together mystery, folklore and an intimate social portait of an often overlooked community, Elephants in the Fog explores belonging, love, duty and the price of freedom and escape.

Written and directed by Nepalese filmmaker Abinash Bikram Shah, the film is his feature debut and became the first Nepalese feature selected for Cannes. Following his acclaimed short Lori, Shah brings a deeply personal and compassionate perspective to a community still often reduced to stereotypes.

Elephants in the Fog won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.