Entertainment · Film · 3 hrs ago
Nepali Himalayan Drama Seeks Final Funding Ahead of Cannes 2027 Bid
Nepali film “Shirjara: Song of Grandmother” has finished filming and is aiming for a Cannes premiere in 2027.
Director Bikash Subedi shot the drama in Dhorpatan, Nepal, at roughly 4,000 metres above sea level, and the team has assembled an 80-minute rough cut.
The story sets a grandmother’s traditional knowledge against artificial intelligence, asking what people building learning machines might learn from their ancestors.
The film draws on Subedi’s memories of hearing his grandmother’s stories in the high Himalayas.
Its team is seeking $44,000 to finish the film, including color grading, final picture work and a six-minute AI and visual-effects sequence.
At a Tokyo film-market event, the team is also looking for Japanese co-producers, post-production partners, a sales company and distributors across Asia.
The film connects local Nepali culture with questions about technology and human history, and its next step depends on securing finishing support and international partners.
Nepali director Bikash Subedi’s Himalayan drama “Shirjara: Song of Grandmother” is seeking its final $44,000 at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market.
The film has completed principal photography and an 80-minute rough cut, and is aiming for a Cannes premiere in 2027.
Its story sets a grandmother’s traditional knowledge against the rise of artificial intelligence.
The film was shot at roughly 4,000 meters in Dhorpatan, Nepal, and has a total budget of $296,000.
The team is seeking Japanese co-producers and post-production partners, as well as international sales and distribution support.
- Who
- Director Bikash Subedi and producer Subash Bhusal’s Kingdom Network Pvt. Ltd. are developing the film.
- What
- Shirjara: Song of Grandmother” is raising its final $44,000 for finishing work.
- When
- The film is seeking a Cannes premiere in 2027.
- Where
- It was shot in Dhorpatan, Nepal, and is seeking funding at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market.
- Why
- The remaining funds are for color grading, picture finishing, a master DCP and a six-minute AI and VFX sequence.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
The film completed its principal photography in Dhorpatan, Nepal.
The team assembled an 80-minute rough cut.
Variety reported that the film was seeking its last $44,000 at the Tokyo Gap-Financing Market.
The team is aiming to launch the film at Cannes.
- Final funding sought
- $44,000
- Total budget
- $296,000
- Budget already raised and spent
- 85%
- Filming location
- Dhorpatan, Nepal, at roughly 4,000 meters
- Rough cut
- 80 minutes
- Target premiere
- Cannes, 2027
What people are saying
For me, this is a personal journey from the motherboard back to the marrow.
I am not against technology. I am interested in what happens when we bring technology into a deeper conversation with our own history and humanity.
But we believed the story was worth the effort.
For us, supporting ‘Shirjara’ was an opportunity to back a filmmaker with a distinct perspective and to bring a deeply rooted Nepali story into a wider international conversation.