Vishü Rita Krocha
For a state that has rarely seen the existence of a vibrant film culture, the recent achievements that Theja Rio's debut feature film, ANGH has secured is truly a historic milestone.
Many generations in Nagaland did not grow up in a film environment. Historically or even in the present day, the state still lacks a robust filmmaking ecosystem, and has never really had a commercial cinema infrastructure.
Given the circumstances, it is hardly surprising that filmmaking like many other forms of creative arts such as writing, painting, or dancing to name a few, was taken seriously or viewed as a viable professional career.
To have a film from Nagaland globally premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), eventually winning the Platform Prize and being qualified for Academy Awards consideration is no mean feat.
Filmmaker Kivini Shohe, who has been working in the field for more than 25 years, had shared during the state felicitation programme for Angh at the state Banquet Hall in Kohima that it is also an important moment to talk about some of the realities that filmmakers face as well as the possibilities that lie ahead because with Theja's film, the state is also witnessing what is possible.
Exuding the sentiments of filmmakers from Nagaland, she had said that it is not easy to make a film in Nagaland even with its extraordinary landscapes, communities with incredibly rich histories, tradition, music or oral narrative, stories that have not yet fully been explored through cinema.
In what she termed as "very weird real challenges", she also cited transportation and logistic difficulties, unpredictable power supply, and remote locations that demand heavy transport costs and of course, "funds" that are often harder to come by.
In all the creative fields, these are perhaps common challenges confronting the creative community. Even despite the lack of exposure to the many fields of art, in terms of not growing up witnessing it or having a guide and mentor in a particular creative field, or not having enough resources to pursue it, we have also seen the possibilities and how, when nurtured well, the world could be our stage.
More than ever, Nagaland needs to nurture the creative talents of our people, and most especially storytelling in whatever form it comes- writing, cinema, music, photography, art. More so, as we begin to reclaim our own narratives, it's direly important that we nurture a generation of storytellers who will continue to tell the story of Nagaland, its history, culture and identity, to the world.
This is a guest editorial by Vishü Rita Krocha. She is the Publisher of PenThrill Publication and a senior journalist based in Kohima.
