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Shambhala film image; two people with foreheads pressed together

Shambhala

Vanguard

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North American Premiere

The future is looking bright for beautiful Pema when she marries into a family of three brothers – one still a boy, another a monk, and the third the charming, sweet-talking Tashi. But things get complicated when her beloved Tashi leaves for a remote trade deal only weeks into their marital bliss and she finds out that she’s pregnant. Once malicious rumours start to spread about the father of the child, Pema embarks on her own mission to set the record straight and clear her name.

Shambhala marks Min Bahadur Bham’s long-awaited return eight years after his feature debut, The Black Hen. At once a love story, a tale of empowerment and an ethnographic record, this captivating, transcendental odyssey takes one into the heart of the Himalayas and its vibrant, yet complex communities weighed down by ancient social customs. The director applies a gentle touch and thoughtful contemporary lens to highlight the beauty and cultural complexity of his native land.

At once a spiritual odyssey and a more concrete journey of female self-determination, this is a visually magnificent slow-burner filmed high in the Himalayas.

Jonathan Romney, Screen International Reviewed

 

Presented by

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Community Partner

Director
Cast

Thinley Lhamo, Sonam Topden, Tenzin Dalha, Karma Wangyal Gurung, Karma Shakya, Loten Namling

Credits
Country of Origin

Nepal/France/Norway/Turkey/
Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA/Qatar

Year

2024

Language

In Tibetan and Nepalese with English subtitles

Film Contact
Links
18+

At VIFF Centre

19+

At Fifth Avenue

150 min
Cinemas of Asia Drama Family Relations Indigenous Cinema
Shooney Films, CDP, Ape&Bjørn, Aaru, Production, ZK Films, Yi Tiao Long Hu, Bao, Bangdel and Shakya Production

Book Tickets

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Credits & Director

Executive Producer

Debaki Rai, Liao Ching-Sung, Roger Huang, Ruben Thorkildsen, Can Aygor, Salina Shakya

Producer

Min Bahadur Bham

Screenwriter

Min Bahadur Bham, Abinash Bikram Shah

Cinematography

Aziz Jan Baki

Editor

Liao Ching-Sung, Kiran Shrestha

Production Design

Ramlal Khadka

Original Music

Nhyoo Bajracharya

Min Bahadur Bham headshot; Shambhala director

Min Bahadur Bham

Nepalese filmmaker Min Bahadur Bham holds master’s degrees in Buddhist philosophy and political science while pursuing a PhD in anthropology. His short, Bansulli (2012), was Nepal’s first entry to the Venice IFF, followed by his debut feature Kalo Pothi (2015), which won the FEDEORA Best Film Award at Venice Critics Week and became Nepal’s official Oscar entry. Acknowledged for nurturing emerging talent, his productions have graced festivals like — Venice, Berlinale, Rotterdam, and Busan. His second feature, Shambhala (2024), made history as Nepal’s first film in the Berlinale Competition section.

Filmography: Kalo Pothi (2015)

Photo by Angad Dhakal

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