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
Media Partner
Community Partner
Thinley Lhamo, Sonam Topden, Tenzin Dalha, Karma Wangyal Gurung, Karma Shakya, Loten Namling
Nepal/France/Norway/Turkey/
Hong Kong/Taiwan/USA/Qatar
2024
In Tibetan and Nepalese with English subtitles
At VIFF Centre
At Fifth Avenue
Book Tickets
Indigenous & Community Access
Indigenous Access Tickets Community Access Tickets Ticket Donation Requests
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
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
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
Lessons of Darkness
Werner Herzog's unforgettable documentary reveals the unfolding disaster of the Kuwaitian oil fields in flames in 1991 as a sweeping inferno of mesmerizing power.
Beau Travail
Inspired by Herman Melville's Billy Budd, Claire Denis' transfixing Beau Travail is set in East Africa. Sgt Galoup (Denis Lavant) reflects on his time in the French Foreign Legion, and the impact of the handsome Sentain (Gregoire Colin).
The Sixth Sense
"I see dead people." Does 10-year-old Cole (Haley Joel Osment) have the sixth sense, as he claims — or is this sensitive, unusual child responding to stress, as his mother (Toni Collette) would like to believe? Psychologist Bruce Willis finds out.
The Blair Witch Project
The rushes of a student-made documentary investigating the legend of the Blair Witch in Burkittsville, Maryland, a quest that led the three filmmakers deep into the Appallachian woods. Easy to get lost in there...
Late Fame
Based on a novella by Arthur Schnitzler (Eyes Wide Shut) this is a sly, poignant comedy about vanity and art from director Kent Jones, starring Willem Dafoe as a mailman belatedly acclaimed for a book of poetry he wrote in his youth.