Shot in Nepal, edited in Hamburg, world premiere in Cannes

From Britta Schmeis

It is not necessarily obvious that a Nepalese film has a direct connection to northern Germany. A connection that everyone involved describes as a "perfect match". Nor does the story of a community of trans women in Nepal seem to be a universal one. But the feature film debut "Elephants in the Fog" by Nepalese Director Abinash Bikram Shah proves otherwise. Andrew Bird and Paris J. Ludwig, who edited the film in Hamburg, played a key role in this - thanks to the MOIN Film Fund and the German co-producers, the  Lübeck-based zischlermann filmproduktion and the Cologne-based production company Die Gesellschaft DGS. In Cannes (12 - 23 May 2026), "Elephants in the Fog" will celebrate its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section.

"It's about family," says Abinash in the Altona editing room in late summer. It is not a family in the conventional sense, but a community of transgender women, the so-called Kinnar, who choose their family members themselves and then live together with their daughters as mothers. They have imposed strict rules on themselves: Kinnar women are not allowed to have close contact with men and certainly no sex. It is a centuries-old tradition.

Choosing between love and community

In his film, Abinash focuses on the matriarch Pirati, who lives with her three more or less grown-up daughters in such a community in a small Nepalese village, surrounded by a forest populated by wild elephants. These animals are both a threat and a protection. Pirati herself has a relationship with a man. It is a hidden relationship full of secrecy, even though the daughters seem to suspect something. The situation escalates into an argument with one of her daughters, who disappears shortly afterwards. Pirati does everything she can to find her. But she is met with the hatred, contempt and rejection of the villagers. Nobody wants to help the Kinnar, quite the opposite. In the community, Pirati has now lost her position as matriarch after her relationship became public knowledge. Pirati has to choose between love and responsibility for her children and the community.

"I kept seeing these women in Nepal and then one day an Executive Producer friend of mine told me that he knew a Kinnar woman whose daughter had disappeared and was eventually found dead," says Abinash. This Executive Producer had the idea of making a film out of it, also to show what it means to be queer in Nepal. And because Abinash was fascinated: "These women have their own rituals, rules and also their own language, for their own safety, so that they are not understood by others." Originally there was the idea of a short film, but Abinash quickly realised that this would not do justice to the complex story.

 How is community lived?

"This film was made out of necessity," says Michael Henrichs from the production company Die Gesellschaft DGS. The need to tell different perspectives. "The topic, as far away as it may seem, is universal," he continues. Because "Elephants in the Fog" is also about exclusion, tolerance and the question of how far you go for other people and which people you choose to live together, how society and community are lived. Michael met Abinash 15 years ago during a workshop in Kathmandu. They have been in contact ever since. "I am absolutely convinced of Abinash's talent, ability and sensitivity," says Michael.

 Editing made in Altona

However, it was not that easy to get money for such a project, explains Lübeck-based co-executive producer Martin Rehbock from zischlermann filmproduktion. This is why, in addition to partners from Nepal, France, Brazil, Norway and Germany are also involved. The MOIN Film Fund has supported the project with 65,000 euros. This gave Abinash the opportunity to work with Andrew Bird, who has been editing films by Fatih Akin, among others, for many years and was also responsible for editing the Oscar nominee "The Seeds of the Sacred Fig Tree".

"I learnt so much from Andrew during the editing process," enthuses Abinash. Andrew has an objective and very precise eye for the essentials. "Above all, I learnt to shoot less material." The first version was three hours long, the final version is now less than two hours long. "And I don't miss anything," says Abinash at the end of the work in Hamburg. Alongside Andrew, Paris J. Ludwig was also responsible for the editing. She has been working as Andrew's assistant for eight years. "Elephants in the Fog" is her first independent work as an editor. And Abinash is also full of admiration and appreciation for her: "She is one of us and, like Andrew, she knows how to use her editing to extract images, moods and stories from our material that we were sometimes unaware of ourselves."

"Abinash, the editing here in Hamburg with Andrew and Paris and our two production companies from Cologne and Lübeck, that's simply a perfect match," says Martin Rehbock. The MOIN Film Fund believed in Abinash, the film and the whole team right from the start. The invitation to Cannes proves everyone right.