‘Elephants in the Fog’ actor Pushpa Lama wins Asia Pacific Screen award

Pushpa Thing Lama won the Best Performance award at the 19th Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Gold Coast, Australia. The award recognised her acting in Elephants in the Fog, also known as Tiniharu. It matters because the film has already drawn major international attention, making Lama’s performance part of a wider breakthrough for Nepali cinema.

Lama played Pirati, the head of a kinnar family living near a village. Pirati and her family patrol the forest at night to protect the settlement from wild elephants. When one family member disappears, the story examines identity, exclusion, belonging and family. Lama said the role had become permanently connected to her life.

The award adds to the film’s success after its Jury Prize at Cannes. Director Abinash Bikram Shah praised Lama’s sensitivity, courage and honesty during the film’s four-year production. Her recognition also highlights a film that places kinnar community members at the centre rather than treating them through familiar stereotypes.

The Asia Pacific Screen Awards are an international film awards event that celebrates filmmaking from countries across the Asia-Pacific region. The article identifies Lama’s prize as Best Performance, an acting award. Such a category matters because it focuses attention on the strength and detail of an individual screen performance, not only on a film’s direction or production.

In this case, the award recognised Lama’s portrayal of Pirati in Elephants in the Fog. Pirati leads a kinnar family that patrols a forest at night to protect a village from wild elephants. Lama’s performance helped bring the character’s identity, courage and family responsibilities into the centre of the film.

The award gives Lama and Nepali cinema wider international visibility. It also follows the film’s Jury Prize at Cannes, showing how recognition at major festivals and awards can build momentum. The article does not provide the awards’ formal rules or membership details.

Elephants in the Fog has an international production footprint and festival journey. It was co-produced by five countries: Nepal, Germany, Brazil, France and Norway. This matters because the film connects Nepali storytelling with partners and audiences beyond Nepal, giving its subject a broader route into world cinema.

The film first gained major global attention at the Cannes Film Festival. It premiered there earlier this year and later won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Its story remains rooted in Nepal, following Pirati and her family as they guard a village from wild elephants and search for a missing family member.

The Cannes recognition brought unprecedented international attention to Nepali cinema. The film was released in Nepal in September, while its awards profile continues to raise the visibility of its cast, director and kinnar-centred narrative. The article does not state its international release schedule or audience numbers.

The film’s Jury Prize at Cannes was historically important because it marked a first for Nepal. Elephants in the Fog became the first Nepali feature film to win an official award at the Cannes Film Festival. That distinction matters beyond one production: it created a landmark moment for the country’s cinema on one of the world’s most prominent film stages.

The film won in the Un Certain Regard section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival in May. It centres on Pirati, the head of a kinnar family that patrols a forest at night to protect a village from wild elephants. The story also follows the family after one of its members goes missing.

The Cannes achievement brought unprecedented international attention to Nepali cinema, according to the article. It helped establish the film’s international profile before Lama won Best Performance at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards. The article does not provide attendance, distribution or revenue figures resulting from the prize.

In the article, the kinnar community is described as a marginalised community in Nepal. The source does not give a fuller definition, so the central point here is its social position: kinnar people live at the margins of society and are often represented through stereotypes in mainstream Nepali cinema. That context makes the film’s focus significant.

Pirati is the head of a kinnar family living outside a village. She and her family patrol the forest at night to protect the settlement from wild elephants. When one of their own goes missing, the film follows the family’s response while exploring identity, exclusion, belonging and family. Pirati’s community membership shapes the story rather than appearing as a side detail.

By placing Pirati and her family at the centre, the film moves beyond stereotypical portrayals, according to the article. It gives their relationships, work and vulnerability narrative importance. Lama’s award also draws attention to this representation, while the film’s Cannes success has widened its audience.

Placing members of a marginalised community at the centre can change what audiences see and whose experiences shape a story. Instead of using people mainly as background figures or stereotypes, a film can present their families, work, fears and choices as central human experiences. The article links Elephants in the Fog to this wider shift in Nepali cinema.

Pirati is not a side character. She leads a kinnar family living near a village, and the family patrols the forest at night to protect the settlement from wild elephants. After one member disappears, the film examines identity, exclusion, belonging and family. This story structure makes the community’s relationships and responsibilities drive the plot.

The article says the film moves beyond stereotypical portrayals often found in mainstream Nepali cinema. Its Cannes Jury Prize and Lama’s acting award have also increased attention to the representation. These achievements may help more audiences encounter kinnar-centred stories, though the article does not measure any broader change.

International festivals and awards help a country’s cinema travel beyond its usual audience. A festival premiere can introduce a film to critics, programmers and viewers from many countries. An award then provides a strong public signal that the film and its artists deserve attention. This matters especially for cinemas that receive less global exposure.

Elephants in the Fog shows that pathway clearly. It premiered at Cannes and won the Jury Prize in Un Certain Regard at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The film later reached the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, where Pushpa Thing Lama won Best Performance for portraying Pirati. Each recognition highlighted a different part of the project: the film itself and its lead acting.

The Cannes success brought unprecedented international attention to Nepali cinema, while the awards strengthened the film’s profile. The film was also released in Nepal in September. These results can open wider conversations about Nepali stories and marginalised communities, although the article gives no audience or distribution figures.