Toronto: As has been it’s record in recent years, the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has provided a platform to an Indian director’s maiden project, showcasing Lakshmipriya Devi’s Boong, set in Manipur, this year.
The film had its world premiere at the 49th edition of North America’s largest movie event. The director said she was “very amazed” at its selection for the prestigious festival.
“I never thought this film will be made. I could have never imagined this film will get such a huge platform like TIFF,” she said.
“First-time director Lakshmipriya Devi expertly centres themes of enduring friendship within a narrative in which ethno-racial discord is ever-present,” TIFF’s director of programming Robyn Citizen noted in her description of the feature.
The film follows the eponymous character, a schoolboy played by Gugun Kipgen, as he searches for his missing, presumed dead, father Joykumar, who was last known to have lived in Moreh, a border town between India and Myanmar. Its backdrop is the ethno-cultural rift but it’s essentially a gentle movie about family and friendship.
Given the current situation in Manipur, it isn’t surprising that the ethnic violence isn’t far from the surface, though the “outsiders” depicted here are those from beyond Manipur.
{{/usCountry}}Given the current situation in Manipur, it isn’t surprising that the ethnic violence isn’t far from the surface, though the “outsiders” depicted here are those from beyond Manipur.
{{/usCountry}}The town of Moreh is a pivotal setting for this film. But the ethnic clashes led to it being destroyed. In fact, she said she has heard from residents of Moreh who want to watch the movie just to catch a last glimpse of their razed homes and town.
“There was a festival when we were shooting there. There’s a goddess at the entrance of Moreh. There’s a temple there and the festival that celebrated every year. She’s the goddess for outsiders, she welcomes all because Moreh has lots of Tamilians, lots of Marwaris, Burmese, everyone. And it was razed.”
For now, she is focused on the reception the film has received, a positive development for a troubled state. The film has resonated during screenings at TIFF. As she said, “I thought the setting will be very alien. But people connected with the story and the characters.”
While she has been working in the film industry in Mumbai for several years, the world premiere was still a nerve-wracking experience as it was for her own debut project. But the reaction was gratifying, “It boosted my confidence otherwise I was a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown.”