Sadi Mohammad Shahnewaz

In a stunning final move, the jury bypassed the media front-runners to award the 2026 Palme d’Or to Romanian auteur Cristian Mungiu for “Fjord”.

Nepalese film "Elephants in the Fog" has won the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, marking a landmark achievement for the country’s cinema on the global stage.

By the time the ‘happy hour’ sizzled down, I had talked to a dozen filmmakers from all over the world who were hoping to get their films onto the main stages of the upcoming Berlinale, TIFF, and Venice Film Festivals. Mithun, by that time, had unofficially confirmed that he had found a willing distributor. If that is true, Cannes served as the first proper documentation of this promising film.

“Elephants in the Fog” serves as a testament to how Nepal’s legal fight has historically leaned toward a broader human rights framework, granting an "others" category on citizenship documents based on self-identification.

When I walked into the Salle de Conférence de Presse for the Displaced Filmmakers Fund (DFF), admittedly a bit late after a screening, one thing instantly came to mind: Rithy Panh, Annemarie Jacir, Mohammed Amer, Akuol de Mabior, and Bao Nguyen are incredibly talented directors of the highest calibre. However, I wondered whether the fund could also be used to amplify voices that would otherwise have no way of being heard. I will circle back to this point.

Bardem’s appearance at the Cannes Film Festival has remained one of the festival’s most closely watched moments. By addressing political tensions directly during the press conference for “My Beloved”, the actor shifted attention beyond cinema toward the ethical responsibilities of public figures and artistes.

And somewhere inside the maze of the Palais, among buyers, critics and dreamers, Dhaka continues to echo a little louder.

However, humor was not all she was—she was also the kindest and most giving person you could meet. She was the type who would send you voice messages to praise and encourage you, even if you had just met. If she perceived you to be talented in any way, she would go above and beyond to encourage you to pursue your craft.