GANGTOK,: Even before its completion, Tribeny Rai's upcoming film ‘Shape of
Momo’ is garnering national and international attention, shining a spotlight on
Sikkim.
During the
recent Work-in-Progress Lab at Film Bazaar 2024 held in Goa, the two films
‘Shape of Momo’ by Tribeny Rai and ‘Hunter’s Moon’ by Ridham Janve were
declared as joint winners.
The two films
win various in-kind support from Prasad Lab and Nube Studio. The achievement
made by the Sikkimese filmmaker’s project has been covered by national and
international media including US-based popular online news house ‘Variety’.
The ‘Shape of
Momo’ was among the six exceptional films selected by the National Film
Development Corporation of India (NDFC) for the Work-in-Progress at Film Bazaar
2024. The market ran concurrently with the International Film Festival of India
at Goa from November 20 to 28.
The prizes were
presented at the closing event of Film Bazaar at the Marriott Resort hotel in
Panjim with Prithul Kumar, joint secretary, Broadcasting, Ministry of
Information & Broadcasting and managing director, NFDC and Vrunda Manohar
Desai, joint secretary Films, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting and managing
director, NFDC, present.
They were
joined on stage by Jerome Paillard, former head of the Cannes Market and
now an advisor to Film Bazaar.
“Festival
programmers and producers from around the world attend Film Bazaar, but many
still know very little about Sikkim and its people. I was thrilled to have the
opportunity to showcase our story and represent our community on such a
platform. I'm confident that many foreign delegates now have a clearer idea of
where Sikkim is,” said Tribeny.
Tribeny Rai, a
native of Nandok near Ranipool, has already won multiple national awards for
her short films. The ‘Shape of Momo’ is her first full length Nepali feature
film and it describes the journey of a woman who is determined not to let
patriarchy and its influence push her down. The film has been shot extensively
in and around Nandok, and now it is heading towards post-production.
“We are yet to
begin post-production, which is a highly expensive process. We are incredibly
grateful for the grant we received from the Work-in-Progress Lab, as making an
independent film is extremely challenging. However, we are still seeking
additional funds to complete our project,” said Tribeny.
