Shambhala (stylised as SHAMBHALA) is a 2024 drama film directed by Min Bahadur Bham from a screenplay written by Bahadur and Abinash Bikram Shah. Starring Thinley Lhamo, Tenzin Dalha and Sonam Topden.[1][2][3] Shambhala is the most expensive movie of Nepal made on the budget रू15 crore (US$1.1 million). It was selected in the Competition at the 74th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear. The film narrates the life trajectory of a Tibetan female refugee who is feeling the brunt in search of her missing husband, a task which she has to do it amidst being pregnant under challenging precarious circumstances.
The international co-production between Nepal, France, Norway, Hong Kong, China, Turkey, Taiwan, USA and Qatar world-premiered on 23 February 2024 at the Berlinale Palast.[4][5]Shambhala is the first Nepali feature film to be in competition at a major film festival and the first South Asian film in three decades to compete in the main competition at the Berlinale.[6][7] The film was also selected as the Nepalese entry for Best International Feature Film at the 97th Academy Awards.[8]
Synopsis
Pema, a young, newly married woman, lives in a polyandrous village in the Nepalese Himalayas[a] with her husband Tashi and his two brothers, Karma and Dawa, who are also her husbands. Their life is peaceful until Tashi disappears 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 film was shot in the Upper Dolpo region of the Himalayas, between Nepal and Tibet, one of the highest human settlements on the planet located between 4,200 to 6,000 meters above sea level.[7] Min Bahadur Bham planned to direct his second directorial venture as a full-fledged female-driven survival road film. The film eventually obtained script development funding from ACF and from Cannes' Cinéfondation Residence as well as from the Busan International Film Festival.[10][11] The film was initially titled as A Year of Cold (Chiso Barsha).
In 2018, the director Min Bahadur Bham received 6,000 Euros at the Locarno Film Festival and the film was co-produced with the support of Locarno’s Open Doors Hub.[12] The film script was conferred with the Norwegian Sorfond Award in 2019 after being shortlisted among one of the contenders to receive the grant under the Norwegian South Film Fund's pitching forum.[13]
At the 72nd Cannes Film Festival, the filmmaker received 60,000 US dollars as a special cash prize to engage in the execution of the script by converting the script into a full-length feature film.[14][15][16] The film also received a special cash prize of 75,000 Euros from the TRT 12 Punto Script Lab of Turkey for its script.[17]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 86% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 8/10.[28]
Fabien Lemercier reviewing the film at Berlinale for Cineuropa wrote, "A magnificent portrait of a woman determined to shoulder her responsibilities, Shambhala is a work of great sensitivity which is highly suggestive beneath its striking and “exotic” cultural attire."[29]
James Mottram of South China Morning Post rated the film 4/5 and lauded the film's writing, "A film like no other, Shambhala is unhurried and reflects the director’s fascination with Eastern rituals and symbols."[30]
Siddhant Adlakha reviewing for Variety at Berlinale wrote, "Shambhala does, essentially, what it says on the tin. Its landscape may be mountainous, but its emotional trajectory is a distinct plateau."[31]
Jonathan Romney reviewing the film at Berlinale, wrote in ScreenDaily "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, with a quietly magnetic central performance from Thinley Lhamo."[32]
Nicholas Bell in Ion Cinema rated the film with four stars and said, "Grounding this narrative, mixing visual poetry with vulgar slander, is the captivating performance by Thinley Lhamo, who imbues Pema with a resilience and tenderness." Concluding, Bell praised cinematography and wrote, "Bam reunites with his DP Aziz Zhambakyiv, and the Nepalese Himalayas provide a pristine, breathtaking backdrop for these ultimately petty miseries supported by fragile men."[33]
