Festival Trailer for Min Bahadur Bham’s Film ‘Shambhala’ from Nepal
by Alex Billington
February 23, 2024
Source: YouTube
“I must tell Tashi the truth and bring him home.” Screen Daily has revealed the festival promo trailer for a Nepalese indie drama titled Shambhala 🇳🇵, the second feature film directed by Nepalese filmmaker Min Bahadur Bham. This film is premiering this week at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival just before it wraps up. It is the first ever Nepalese film to play in Competition at Berlinale, and has earned some rave reviews already. In a Himalayan polyandrous village, pregnant Pema faces scrutiny when her husband vanishes while on a trading trip to Lhasa. She sets off on an arduous journey to find him to give legitimacy to her unborn child. With her monk brother-in-law, her de facto spouse, she seeks her missing husband in the wild, unraveling her own self-discovery along the journey… The film stars Thinley Lhamo as Pema, with Sonam Topden, Tenzin Dalha, Karma Wangyal Gurung, and Karma Shakya. This is slow cinema at its finest, with a 2 and 1/2 hour runtime in total – and it seems like it will take its time. I always love watching the Himalayas properly captured in cinema, and this looks like a stunning story of self-discovery and growth. Take a look.
Here’s the initial promo trailer (+ poster) for Min Bahadur Bham’s Shambhala, direct from YouTube:
Via Berlinale: “In the heart of the Nepalese Himalayas, the spirited Pema embraces a polyandrous marriage with Tashi & his two younger brothers. They initially lead a harmonious life, but when Tashi fails to return from a trading trip to Lhasa, the legitimacy of her next child is questioned by her community. Determined to prove her love and purity, she embarks on a quest to find Tashi. Accompanied by her brother-in-law, her now de facto spouse Karma, she goes into the wilderness. Karma is a monk. After initially resisting giving up his monastic life, he gradually comes to appreciate the simple existence of a secular life. However, urgent duties call him back to the monastery and Pema is left alone. As she navigates the harsh Himalayan terrain, her quest transcends the search for her missing husband. [As she carries on,] Pema becomes increasingly immersed in a spiritual search for meaning in which every step brings her [to] self-discovery & liberation.”
Shambhala is directed by Nepalese producer / filmmaker Min Bahadur Bham, making his second feature film after directing The Black Hen previously, plus a few more short films. The screenplay is written by Min Bahadur Bham and Abinash Bikram Shah. Produced by Min Bahadur Bham; and co-produced by Catherine Dussart, Verona Meier, Shuk Fong Chong, Zeynep Koray, Justine O., and Bibhakar Sunder Shakya. This just premiered at the 2024 Berlin Film Festival in the Main Competition. No release dates are set yet, stay tuned.
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