Buffalo 8 secured the right to distribute to “Shakti,” a feature of the debut story of Nepali-American filmmaker Nani Sahara Walker, in a seven-year deal covering the US, Canada and the UK markets.
The Kathmandu Set drama follows a single mother whose 9-year-old daughter is mysteriously determined to get sick. When a medical professional can’t provide the answer, she travels to both mother and daughter for redemption, seeking help from a local shaman.
Previously serving as executive producer at LA Times Studios, Walker portrays similarities between her film and Nepal’s recent political transformation. “In Nepal, young people have recently dismantled the government and welcomed the country’s first female prime minister who has fought for women’s rights for decades. “Shakti” is based on the same spirit carrying both a spirit of resistance and a spirit of change,” she said.
“‘Shakti’ stands up to waning global attention on sexual violence, caste injustice and corruption that has fueled Nepal’s biggest protest in decades. It will be a response to Nepal’s call for urgent action and a universal narrative of justice and resilience,” Walker added.
Walker will direct short LA Times Studios award-winning documentaries, including “The Last Recises Shop,” which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short in 2024, and brings prominent credits to the project, including “The Last Repair Shop,” which won the 2012 debut documentary, “Other Nature.”
Behind the camera, the highly acclaimed Japanese cinematographer was Nakahara Keiko lensing the project. Nakahara’s over 10 years of career span has worked on works in India, Hollywood and Japan’s Mary.com, Tanhaji: The Ungung Warrior and Jane Austen Book Club.
The cast includes Laxmi Bardewa (“Bulbul”), Menuka Pradhan (“Saili”), Shristi Shrestha (“The Red Suitcase”), and Polina Oli. Executive producers include Vrushali Satarkar, Snehal Fulzele, Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor, Grady Craig, Gannon Kenney and Rakesh Mehra.
“Shakti” will premiere the world at the Heartland International Film Festival in Indianapolis and will be screened with a new American perspective lineup at the Hawaii International Film Festival. Other festival stops include the Tasveer South Asian Film Festival in Seattle and the Women’s Eye Film Festival in Toronto.
The project was supported by Arri’s International Support Program, a global initiative supporting emerging filmmakers. Production also marked the Nepal debut of the Aria Lexa 35 camera system.
