How was Cannes? How was the trip? Director Avinash Vikram Shah has not been able to forget the Cannes trip. That's all - he is also surprised to see everyone happy at Cannes. The family is happy, he is also happy.

'I can't even process how I feel,' Avinash told Kantipur. After all, Avinash's first feature 'Elephants in the Fog (Them)' has created history by winning two awards at the world's prestigious film festival Cannes. The film, which won the Jury Prize in the selected genre 'On Certain Regard', won another award at Cannes for 'Sound'. This is the first Nepali film to be selected in 'On Certain Regard' and win an award. The moment when won the Jury Award was historic. Before the award ceremony, the festival director had invited Avinash's entire team to the event. At that time, he had a feeling that he would win a big award. 'Will the entire cast get the award?' Avinash had a thought like that. Cannes had previously distributed awards to a large number of actors in the same category. Avinash felt that the entire cast of his film would have received the award, but the jury prize given to the director went to Avinash. 'I thought that the entire cast would be given the award for once. How everyone liked Pushpa and all the actors' performances at Cannes,' said Avinash, who returned to Kathmandu on Sunday. After receiving the invitation to the award ceremony, Avinash immediately prepared a 'speech'. After going up on stage to receive the award, he read it out. The cast celebrated the victory by dancing on stage, clapping and humming the song. That joy is still inside Avinash. 'I got emotional at the premiere of the film. I kept telling the actors not to cry. But the atmosphere inside the hall was such that the tears did not stop,' he said with a smile, 'I had worked so hard on the film. That hard work of shooting. I had to control myself and make the film, how many times it was difficult.' Producer Anup Poudel's experience of winning the award was different. He was of the opinion that the film should win an award in some category or the other, so the result was not new to him. 'There was nothing like saying Oh my God. It had to be, it happened, it happened,' says Anup. But Anup did not expect to win two awards. After the film won the only 'Best Sound Creation' given in 'In Certain Regard', Anup's happiness was doubled. Avinash says that the film received 99 percent positive feedback at Cannes. 'Those who watched the film told about the experience they had inside the film. Everyone gave a positive response,' he said. Producer Anup Poudel says that the film gained popularity from the 'market screening'. 'The buzz about the film was amazing,' Poudel said, 'Elephants Nepal-Elephants Nepal was heard everywhere. Now we understood everything that was said in French.' The buzz about 'Elephants in the Fog' increased dramatically after distributors, sales agents and journalists watched the film. Producer Poudel is preparing to release the film in Nepal around September. 'This week we will fix the release date. We are planning to release it in September/August,' said Anup.

The red carpet of Cannes attracts attention from all over the world. This time, Cannes became special for Nepalis because of 'Elephants in the Fog'. Director Avinash got the opportunity to walk the red carpet twice. He walked the red carpet of 'Camera Dior' with another producer Prachandaman Shrestha. The second one was the red carpet organized for the premiere of 'Elephants in the Fog'. For Avinash, the red carpet was never an attraction. 'Why do I feel like I'm being pushed around so much to walk the red carpet,' says Avinash, 'How can I walk in such uncomfortable clothes and shoes?'

But, when Avinash saw his artists walking the red carpet, his heart was filled with joy. He found a reflection in that. While it was being said that the voices of the marginalized are not heard, they are not seen, all the artists of 'Elephants' were on the red carpet, where the eyes of the world were. 'It is said that the marginalized are not seen, but look at that presence on the red carpet. All my artists were there. I also felt that this was the right time to be seen,' Avinash said. The bitter truth that the artist's life was incompatible with the excitement and excitement of the red carpet pinched Avinash. 'There is such glamour there, but what was our reality like at that time? We had reached there with our voice. But, where did we come from, what was our reality like?' Avinash said, 'The main thing is that the things that our society was ignoring, they became visible at Cannes.' Pushpa Thing Lama, who played the lead role in this film, never thought that she would walk the red carpet at Cannes one day. She had already watched videos of her walking on the same red carpet at Cannes. But, 'Elephants in the Fog' made Pushpa walk the red carpet in designer clothes. 'I came here living a dream. I want to thank directors Avinash and Anup for giving me that opportunity and believing in me,' Pushpa said with deep tears, 'From the class I came from, Cannes was just a dream.' She walked like a princess on the red carpet. My team took the earthling there.'' Anupam's unforgettable moment at Cannes was the feeling he experienced before the premiere. After taking a formal photo for Cannes at the 'Photocall', he went upstairs. The film's joy was being celebrated downstairs - the film's premiere was taking place in a few minutes. At that time, his heart became heavy - tears fell from his eyes. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted. He had dark glasses on his eyes, not everyone could see the tears. 'Finally, the film was brought to this point. I had already watched the film in many stages, starting from editing. But, watching the film among that crowd of Cannes viewers, it felt like a weight had been lifted. It felt like I had entrusted it to everyone. But, those tears were not the only ones. It was an investment of 5 years of time, money and hard work,' Anup said.

As Anup was narrating his story like this, director Avinash and actor Pushpa looked serious. 'It took a lot of struggle to make this film. It was difficult mentally, physically, emotionally and financially. I had kept that inside me for many years. But, that day I felt like I had surrendered all that,' Anup added, 'How much effort it takes to make a film. When you reach there after going through all kinds of suffering, you feel like I have come out of it all. Those tears were that experience.'

Director Shah also had a similar experience. Adding to Anup's words, Shah said, 'As long as the audience does not watch the film, the film remains unfinished. On the day of the premiere, the film was said to be finished. Then there were so many people there. Everyone was clapping. As difficult as it was to make this film, it felt like it had been made easier for me.'

Now Avinash seems very excited to show this film to the Nepali audience. 'I am getting so much feedback now. I think the audience will like the film,' he said, 'There is no boundary between it being a festival-going film and an art film. In fact, our film is about not having boundaries.' Right from the time it included the story of sexual and gender minorities, Avinash had made the film targeting all audiences. The film included the story of a mother and daughter from a sexual and minority community. This community lives in a slum where elephants keep causing problems. Their stories are included in the film through the image of an elephant. The Nepali title of this film is 'Tinihru'. According to Avinash, filmmaking requires patience. Sometimes small things hurt. You have to stick to your decisions. You don't give up. Avinash follows this mantra and makes films. 'I chose a very difficult subject to make a film. The story was written after research. Then I had to find an actor. I didn't want to make a boy act as a girl. It took time to find a real character,' Avinash said. 'I was just as sad during the shooting. The film was shot until 1/2 in the night, and the next morning I was going to shoot another scene. A large group, the cost would increase. I left everything and focused on making the film. I focused on looking around and seeing that the film would be ruined.' But now, the pain of filmmaking has become a help for Avinash. The intention with which Avinash wanted to make a film has been fulfilled. He also wanted to make this film for characters like Pushpa.

This journey of filmmaking was not easy for Pushpa, who had never acted in a film. Avinash used to visit her in Nawalparasi many times. At that time, Pushpa thought, 'Why is this man coming? How many times has he come?' Pushpa remembers, 'But, this man will definitely do something. I thought we would get the result.' She got the result on the stage of Cannes. Pushpa is also happy to get that stage because of her story, which was overshadowed. 'We were left behind, but we are coming forward.' "A lack of opportunity is an example of how we can prove ourselves if we have that opportunity," Pushpa said. "There was no discrimination in Cannes. Everyone was treated equally." Avinash has experienced the entire country supporting him when 'Elephants in the Fog' reached Cannes. Earlier, the government did not show much interest in making a film like this and reaching a big platform. However, Minister for Communications Vikram Timalsina and Minister for Tourism Ganesh Poudel reached the airport to welcome Avinash's group. "I never thought that so many people would meet us on social media and give us feedback on the film and celebrate it. The welcome from the Development Board and the Tourism Board has added energy," says Avinash. "Even without that, the film is still being made. But that increases the energy even more."

The grand welcome by the board and the minister

has also made Anup feel that the government is responsible. 'I felt that the government was responsible. Giving importance to films in this way gives energy to the filmmakers,' says Anup, 'It has made us understand the importance of films and festivals. Film festivals are like the World Cup for athletes. For mountaineers, reaching the peak of Mount Everest and having our films seen by a global audience is like reaching that height. That height is a festival for us.'