Director Ganesh Panday’s ‘Co-Husband’ (Sahayak Shreeman), a documentary on polyandrous marriage custom practised by Lama populations in Nepal’s mountainous regions, won the best short film award at the Society of Visual Anthropology Film and Media Festival in Toronto, Canada.

Panday, and producer Sharda Gaire were handed the award at the Toronto Metro Convention Center by University of Southern California Associate Professor Jennifer Cool and University of Colorado Boulder Associate Professor Christian Hammons, among 5,000 attendees on Sunday.

The film bagged the top spot, also receiving a cash prize of 300 USD, among thousands of submissions from around the world.

Earlier, the 35-minute film won best documentary film at the Nepal International Film Festival (NIFF) in February 2020, Grand Prix Award at the Kans International Video Festival, Russia, in August 2020, and the Honorable Mention Award at the 29th International Festival of Mountain Films Poprad, Slovakia, 2021, Best Documentary Film Award at the Nepal-Africa Film Festival, Best Documentary Film Award at the Simla International Film Festival, India, and Best International Documentary Film Award at the Cobb International Film Festival.

Director Panday’s previous project, ‘Bhagyale Bachekaharu’ (Nepal Earthquake: Heroes, Survivors and Miracles) also received acclaim, winning over a dozen international awards.