'Semkhor', Dimasa language film by Aimee Baruah, to be screened at Berlin International Film Festival

GUWAHATI: Film Semkhor directed by noted Assamese actor Aimee Baruah has been chosen to be screened at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival, the filmmaker informed.

The film will be available for viewing at the virtual Berlinale EFM Platform/Virtual Indian Screening 2022 on February 12 at 9 pm and February 15th at 5:30 pm

Taking to Facebook, Baruah wrote: "Every filmmaker dreams of their film being included in the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival. I was no exception. This long-cherished dream has now been realised by the grace of God and your best wishes. Those who are registered with the Berlin International Film Film Festival, I welcome you to come enjoy the film through the Virtual Berlinale EFM Platform/Virtual Indian Screening 2022 on February 12th at 9 pm and February 15th at 5:30 pm IST. My heartfelt gratitude to every person associated with this film and I'm extremely proud of their work and achievements."

The film was earlier selected as the opening film of Indian Panorama 2021 of 52^nd IFFI held in Goa.

Semkhor’ also received the “Special Audience Award” at the 20^th Dhaka International Film Festival held in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

The movie represents the practices, customs, and folk notions of the people of Semkhor who want to stay ‘untouched’ from the outside world. It has been made in Dimasa language which is a dialect spoken by the ethno-linguistic community after whom it is named in parts of Assam and Nagaland.

Aimee had no idea about the language Dimasa and as a first step she learnt that language for one year with the help of a tutor.

In the movie, she herself plays the protagonist and to immerse herself into the character she used to visit Semkhor with the permission of village head and try to copy a lady there who is the mother of 14 children. “I used to follow her everywhere.” Sharing her exceptional journey intertwined with many sacrifices, Aimee said that she stopped washing her hair for months so that it develops split ends and stopped wearing footwear to have cracks on her soles. “I even stopped going to beauty parlour for one year”.

The crew of the film comprising 65 people were not allowed to stay in that village and they camped near a hill. The crew used to walk for 45 minutes every day to reach the village.

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