Shakti

Directed By Nani Sahra Walker and n/a

When her mischievous daughter falls mysteriously ill, a single mother is drawn into Kathmandu's supernatural underworld of shamans and secrets, where resilience may be their only path to redemption.

  • ABOUT
  • BIO
  • SCREENINGS
  • AWARDS
  • PRESS
  • CREDITS

Durga, a divorced Dalit woman, works tirelessly to protect her family and anchor her mischievous nine-year-old daughter, Lila. Seeking a positive outlet for Lila’s restless energy, Durga enrolls her in a local art academy. Lila displays a natural brilliance for painting, but the creative sanctuary quickly darkens. A series of unsettling events and a sudden, mysterious illness grip the young girl, throwing the household into panic.

Desperate for answers, Durga uncovers a chilling reality hidden behind the school's doors. Propelled by rage and maternal instinct, she demands accountability, only to find herself trapped in a web of institutional cover-ups and powerful figures determined to silence her. Durga must risk everything to tear down the wall of protection surrounding a monster before other young lives are shattered.



Nani Sahra Walker is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker. She executive produced the acclaimed short documentaries Kylie (Sundance, 2023), Merman (Tribeca, 2023) and The Last Repair Shop (Telluride, 2023), which won the 2024 Academy Award. Her narrative feature film Shakti is distributed by Buffalo 8. Nani is an alum of the ARRI International Support Program, Asia Project Market, Cine Qua Non Lab, SFFILM FilmHouse Residency Program and BAFTA. She is a lecturer at UC Berkeley’s renowned documentary program and mentors filmmakers at American Film Showcase.

Heartland International Film Festival

Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2026

Hawaii International Film Festival 2025

International Film Festival of India - Goa 2025

CAAMFest 2026

Heartland International Film Festival 2025, Best Premiere Narrative

Heartland International Film Festival 2025, Richard D. Propes Narrative Social Impact Award

Best Social Justice Film, Tasveer Film Festival

Jury Award, Nepal Human Rights International Film Festival

Best Foreign Feature Film, Female Eye Film Festival

"Nani Sahra Walker's award-winning debut feature."
Variety
"Urgent and deeply personal."
Screen Daily
""A mother-daughter story that points to a larger reality.""
Scroll.in
"An anti-discrimination campaign in cinematic form."
Kantipur Daily
"Tender and calm...beauty and violence coexist."
The Kathmandu Post

Writer/Director/Producer/Co-editor - Nani Sahra Walker

Production Design/Producer - Candi Guterres

Director of Photography - Keiko Nakahara

William Ryan Fritch - Composer