The Nepal Weekly 
August 27, 2024
Thinley Lhamo, the main actor in the Nepali film ‘Shambhala’, was awarded the prestigious Boccalino d’Oro Prize for Best Acting Performance at the 77th Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland. The event was held from 7 August to 17 August, 2024
The actress was honoured for her performance in the movie directed by Min Bahadur Bham. This achievement was disclosed through a press release a week back. The press note read “This is a historic win and a first-of-its-kind recognition of a South Asian actor.”
The team ‘Shambhala’ said that Lhamo portrays Pema, a Dolpo woman in a polyandrous marriage who embarks on a perilous journey into the unforgiving Himalayan wilderness, which transforms into a personal odyssey to self-discovery and liberation.
The press note further mentions congratulating Shambhala team and Lhamo on this extraordinary accomplishment. “Not only is this award recognition of Lhamo’s extraordinary performance but also a testament to the emerging Nepali talents. It highlights the region’s growing influence on the global cinematic stage,” it mentions
The film features performances by Thinley Lhamo, Sonam Topdre, Tenzing Dalhal, and Karma Shakya. Notably, the film was shot at altitudes ranging from 4,200 to 6,000 meters in Dolpa.
The team has dedicated the award to their fellow Nepali filmmakers and the inspiring, resilient, and spirited women of the Nepali Himalayas and the globe.
Shambhala is a 2024 drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham of a screenplay co-written with Abinash Bikram Shah. The film starring Thinley Lhamo, Tenzin Dalha and Sonam Topden depicts the life of newly married Pema, living in a Himalayan polyandrous village in Nepal.
Pema, a young, newly married woman, lives in a polyandrous village in the Nepalese Himalayas with her husband Tashi and his two brothers, Karma and Dawa, who are also her husbands. Their life is peaceful until Tashi disappears as he goes out on a months long trade trip to Lhasa, and newly-pregnant Pema’s fidelity is doubted by her neighbours. She decides to go after Tashi to clear her name and show her devotion. She is joined by Karma, one of her husbands (brother of Tashi) who is also a monk. Karma initially struggles to adapt to the worldly life, but he soon learns to enjoy it and to care for Pema. However, he has to return to his monastery after the death of the Rinpoche (head of the monastery), and Pema continues alone. Her journey is not only about finding Tashi, but also about finding herself and her freedom. She grows more spiritual and enlightened with every step. In the end Pema returns to her village and confronts the returned Tashi, standing up for herself and her life. Her child is revealed as the reincarnation of the Rinpoche.
The international co-production between Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, Taiwan, USA, and Qatar is selected in the Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear with its first screening on 23 February at Berlinale Palast. Shambhala is the first Nepali feature film to be in competition at a major festival and the first South Asian film in three decades in the main Berlinale competition.
