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Debut delight

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Rajiv Roy interviews Shillong-based Pamreiso Shimray, whose maiden documentary film as a producer has been selected for a major global festival in Australia

PAMREISO SHIMRAY is on cloud nine. Kungyee, his first film as a producer, has been selected for world premiere at Aperture Festival in Melbourne, Australia from November 22-23.

      Directed by Chaoba Thiyam, Kungyee is an ethnographic documentary on the rituals of invoking rains — an age old practice of the Tangkhul Nagas. “If you ask me why a film on the subject, it’s because this culture is vanishing,” said Shimray.

     Shimray, whose culture-crazy businessman father travelled across Myanmar for 40 years for independent research on cultural ties between the Nagas of both countries, grew up in Manipur’s Ukhrul district and graduated in English from St Anthony’s College, Shillong. He did his post graduation in the same subject from NEHU

     Shimray writes for regional newspapers, and is into journalism for the last 10 years. He is also an independent researcher and has taken up a research project funded by Chile-based Global Consortium on Security Transformation (GCST) on ‘The Indo-Naga Peace Process: A case study on Security Transformation in Nagaland’. He is married to an independent researcher.

     Kungyee was shot from 2011 to May 2012, and was completed this year. The organizers of Asia Pacific International Ethnographic Documentary Festival 2013 announced the selection of Kungyee among 13 films for Experiential Ethnographic Films Program and 17 films for Cinematic Program. The film is selected under Experiential Ethnographic Films Program at Aperture Festival and will be screened along with other selected documentaries in the Yasuko Hiraoka Myer room, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, the University of Melbourne.

     The film is set in Ningthi village under Kamjong subdivision, Ukhrul district, Manipur. It documents the dying rituals of rain invocation among the Tangkhuls, particularly after the sowing of seeds at jhum fields. The film was produced with the support of Tribal Research Institute, Manipur and was screened at a film fest on Tangkhul culture in Ukhrul last year and in Shillong this year. The film’s directors of photography are Saikhom Ratan and Chaoba, who also edited it. Sunil Loitongbam is sound recordist.

     Following are excerpts from an interview with Shimray

How was the feeling before the very first screening?

I was very excited and curious about how the audience would react, though in my heart I believed it would enthuse them in one way or the other.

What was the budget of the film?

As the production was big with the involvement of entire villagers, the budget touched around Rs 4.5lakh. I had to chip in with Rs 1.5lakh in addition to the fund provided by Tribal Research Institute, Manipur.

What did you learn from this project?

I am happy that this vanishing age-old practice has been documented. But I am also sad to learn that many of our rich cultural traits went out of practice after the advent of Christianity.

Who or what has influenced you most in filmmaking?

I am always watching documentary on culture and wildlife on TV channels. In more ways than one, it inspires me that I can do films on culture of the northeast.

What is your next project?

I am presently working with my wife on a script for documentary on Somra Traders – it is about the Tangkhuls of Somra village in Myanmar, who every winter would cross over into India on foot and barter their local merchandise for used clothes in Ukhrul.

What made you document the dying rituals among the Tangkhuls?

Culture is one topic which our family talks about every day. This is one important factor which inspired me to take up this project.

Why have you set your film in Ningthi village of Manipur?

Ningthi is now the only village among the Tangkhuls that is struggling to keep alive this practice and related traditions. Ningthi villagers still have all the folksongs and folklores related to Kungyee.

What sort of internships and jobs have you had that relate to your field?

I have worked with Udo Maurer, an Austrian filmmaker, for an international project on Cherrapunjee. The film project was on the topic ‘World Extremes — wettest place and driest place on Earth,’ which was supported by ABC (Austrian Broadcasting Corporation). It was one learning experience for me.

How do you see the prospect of filmmaking in this region?

There are rich and unique aspects of culture to document in the region. What I learnt from veteran filmmakers in the region is that it still has a long way to go. I take this as a challenge.

Do you want to go beyond producing films?

Kungyee is my first and independent venture in filmmaking. So I needed the service of an experienced director and cinematographers for the project. I am a producer for this film, and could be a director in my next project.

How did the screening of Kungyee impact the audience in Ukhrul and Shillong?

In Ukhrul (a film fest on Tangkhul Culture for School Children, 2012), Kungyee was shown for 14 minutes only as promotional screening and the audience were mostly school children. In Shillong (a film fest on Tangkhul Culture, 2013), there was a mixture of audiences from college goers to working people. In the comment book, a university student wrote, “Kungyee has treated us to a unique culture.”

What does the screening of your debut documentary at Aperture Festival mean to you?

This event is not just screening of my documentary. It signifies that documentaries on people and culture from India’s Northeast are getting a global audience. So, I am very happy about this in the first place. And yes, personally, Kungyee’s selection for world premiere at Aperture is a big thing for a debutant.

Filmmaking can be a time consuming job. Do you have any other interests?

Indeed it is. I am also involved with research on culture and photography is another interest area.

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