Naga Indigenous Films Screened At International Indigenous Film Festival in Indonesia
- Jul 12, 2019,
- Updated Jul 12, 2019, 1:43 AM IST
Guwahati, July 12, 2019:
In a boost to the Naga film industry, two films are being screened at the Rainforest Fringe International Indigenous Film Festival 2019 held in Indonesia.
The two films are: 'Strength in Diversity' (about a stress-resistant crop and indigenous variety of millet in Nagaland) and Shot Awake (documentary on the traditional log-drum).
The Film Festival started on July 7 at the Old Courthouse, Kuching, Sarawat in Indonesia and will continue till July 12.
The theme of the festival is 'Stories that Matter'.
The Rainforest Fringe International Indigenous Film Festival is a five-day affair with a series of screenings, workshops for young filmmakers, dialogues with prominent indigenous filmmakers and networking sessions.
The indigenous Naga film ‘Strength in Diversity’ by Chentei Khiamniungan picturize the preservation and cultivation of indigenous food in his village in particular. While the film ‘Shot Awake’ picturizes how the Konyak village of Changlangshu handmade a new Logdrum for themselves.
Anungla Zoe Longkumer represented Nagaland at the festival.
Longkumer mentioned that most of the people in the audience had not heard about Nagaland before.
As per reports, “Strength in Diversity” was shot in 2018 in Langnok Village of Khiamniungan tribe under Noklak district. The film is of 14 minutes and 34 seconds duration.
Whereas, Anungla Zoe explained on the documentation on how the Logdrum was cut and carved and pulled to the village which she felt very, very important documentation. The 25 minutes duration the film uses live footage of the log drum making process, interview of key persons and photographs of the event to document the story. It shows how the Naga tradition abandoned for a long time came to life through hard work of the people who believed in reviving it.
Anung also expressed that similar indigenous film festival in Nagaland would be a great motivation.