SHILLONG, Jan 7: Highlighting the glory of Meghalaya’s living root bridges, a short film Unseen Meghalaya — Journey into the unexplored living root bridges has won the award for the best short documentary film award at the 14th Jaipur International Film Festival (JIFF).
The short film, produced by Canon India and directed by eminent filmmaker Sapan Narula, showcases the world’s only living root bridges — an ancient natural heritage unique to North East India’s Khasi forests.
Responding to their success at JIFF, the team behind Unseen Meghalaya said, “We are thrilled to have won this award for the best short documentary film at the prestigious 14th Jaipur International Film Festival, 2021. The entire team would like to thank the jury for selecting our film which tells a beautiful tale of a strong bond between nature and a 24-year-old Khasi boy Morningstar Khongthaw, who is striving to protect and preserve his natural heritage.”
The film, as quoted, takes the audience on a journey along with Morningstar and his young apprentice through the only triple decker living root bridge, and the longest living root bridge in the world. Once the lifeline of the tribal communities, these bridges are under existential threat now due to modernisation, climate change and neglect. But Morningstar Khongthaw, a young 24-year-old native of the Khasi forests, has taken it upon himself to preserve and perpetuate the root bridges, which, as his tribe believes, is the sacred heritage of their ancestors built with indigenous techniques passed on over generations in this remote jungle wonderland. Notably, Simran Gill, the founder of Film Trotters Media, is the creative producer and script writer of this film.
Besides, it is also worth mentioning that the film has been selected for screening at a number of prestigious film festivals around the world, including Cannes International Independent Film Festival (CIIFF) 2021 (nominee); Venice Shorts 2021 (Finalist); Switzerland International Film Festival (SIFF) 2021, Goa Short Film Festival 2021 among others.