By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Arenla M Subong, the front lady of Nagaland based musical band Abiogenesis who won the best actress award in the North East Hill University one-act play competition held at Shillong for her stellar performance in Maharani of Arakan representing Fazl Ali College, Mokokchung during her college days has ventured into film making.
Her movie “Lichaba’s Daughter” will be screened at the esteemed “The Anthropology of Labor Screening Program Film Festival” to be held at Moscow from September 24-30.
Arenla who specializes in playing Howey – a wind musical instrument made of bamboos is a widely acclaimed musical instrument – in concerts and musical extravaganza all over the world has written and directed by her.
It may be mentioned that this is the 11th international seminar on audiovisual anthropology for scholars and practitioners and special program for screenings, photo-exhibition and international colloquium devoted to the history and present condition of visual studies to be organized by Days of Ethnographic Cinema, Moscow, Russia.
The film, which is produced in Nagaland, is produced by Arenla under the banner Abiogenesis Production.
Lichaba’s Daughter is her major film after her other works which includes HIV/AIDS awareness film called Big Time Buddies made for Nagaland State AIDS Control Society. She has also staged two Howey Musical dramas in collaboration with North East Zone Cultural Centre titled Lichaba’s Daughter and Sojourn of The Ahom Prince in Naga Hills, respectively.
The film – Lichaba’s Daughter – is a new form of film called Howey Musical where the tunes are sung in Naga folk tunes with the script in English.
It is based on an Ao-Naga folklore which has been modified and modernized by Arenla, whose passion for films/drama/music can be traced back to her school days, for a more dramatic appeal.
The film is available globally at Amazon, Filmbay etc. and can also be viewed in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2mMASYv005M.
With the success of her new film, Arenla is preparing for another Howey musical film titled “World beneath the Rainbow” for which she has already written the script and the background music produced by her band Abiogenesis.
Abiogenesis believe that innovation in their music is the key to their success, and it is this phenomenon that’s led them to discover Bamhum and Howey music which is only played by Abiogenesis.
The film will be released internationally next year.