Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Shambhala has won the Best Film Award at this year’s National Film Awards 2081 BS.
Directed by Min Bahadur Bham, the film tells the story of a pregnant woman who ventures into the wild with her brother-in-law after she faces scrutiny in a polyandrous Himalayan village when her husband disappears, unraveling her own self-discovery along the journey.
The film has been nominated for several international film awards in different categories, including cinematography and costume design. It won the Cultural Diversity Award in the Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
Bham also received the Best Director Award for Shambhala at the National Film Awards.
Similarly, Bijay Baral was named Best Actor for his role in Purna Bahadurko Sarangi, while Upasana Singh Thakuri won Best Actress for her performance in Khusma.
President Ram Chandra Paudel gave away the awards amid a ceremony organized by the Nepal Film Development Board at the Office of the President on Monday.
List of Awarded Films and Filmmakers
- Best Film: Shambala
- Best Actor: Bijay Baral (Purna Bahadurko Sarangi)
- Best Actress: Upasana Singh Thakuri (Khusma)
- Best Director: Min Bahadur Bham (Shambala)
- Best Editor: Bharat Regmi (Pujar Sarki)
- Best Cinematographer: Purushottam Pradhan (Pitambar)
- Best Screenplay: Deepak Raj Giri (Chhakka Panja 5)
- Best Indigenous Language Film: Ghalaya Wan (Nepal Bhasa)
- Jury Encouragement Award: Pradeep Khadka (Pujar Sarki)
- Lifetime Achievement Honour: Laxmi Nath Sharma (Writer/Director)
Special Contribution Awards:
- Prem Subba (Choreographer)
- Devika Bandana (Singer)
- Dirgha Gurung (Cinematographer)
- Anup Baral (Actor/Director)
- Parashuram Chaudhary (Actor/Director)
- Sujata Pant (Actor)
- Nakim Uddin (Film Exhibitor)
- Uttam KC (Actor)
- Anju Ranjitkar (Actor)
- Nikhil Upreti (Actor/Director)
Special Film Awards:
- Che (Limbu language)
- Dilsara (Magar language)
Posthumous Special Contribution Award
Late Sharwan Maske, a lighting technician, who passed away during the shooting of the film Chino in 1989.
