Stories in his veins: Dominic Sangma of Rapture and dreaming with eyes opened

As a little boy, studying in a school in mist-kissed Meghalaya, he wrote behind his chair in the classroom- director.
That is how it started
Filmmaker Dominic Megam Sangma’s Garo language film Rapture, which won the Cultural Diversity Award at the 16th Asia Pacific Screen Awards and premiered at the prestigious Locarno Film Festival is all set to be screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angele 2023 (IFFLA).
The movie, which takes audiences on a journey into the heart of Meghalaya’s Garo Hills, exploring the intricate interplay between gullibility and tolerance within a rural village is part of a trilogy based on his memories in his village. Rapture is the second after Ma. Ama made five years ago.
“While Ma. Ama was based on my family, the second one deals with the memories of the people and the village. There is a bit of fiction too. Growing up in the village, some fears have stayed on
In the Northeast, several instances have happened owing to misunderstandings due to the language barriers, fear of strangers, child kidnappers etc. And not to forget, the Church would preach things like there would be darkness for 40 days and 40 nights, etc. As a child, you may not completely understand many things going on but they did precipitate a certain trauma and I need to deal with them through my craft,” he tells IANS.
Sangma’s grandfather was an oral storyteller. Garos do not have a script and use English as a medium. He recalls that his initiation started quite early. Frankly, I got to know about film schools very late in life,” says this pass-out from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (Kolkata).
Pleased that his film is set for a screening at IFFLA, he adds: “This is something really big as there are not many Garo filmmakers. It is an honour for the whole community to get the film here.”
Considering political and religious fear is the dominant emotion in the film, and it is not tough to draw a parallel with the going-on in the Northeast, the director while refusing to comment on the political side of things.
“It is paramount to take an unbiased overview and not let fear control us. It is also an Indo-Chinese joint production. The film’s producer Xu Jianshang says: “His works have immense depth. We may have cultural differences but it is a pleasure working together.” (IANS)