Sikkimese filmmaker Tribeny Geeta Rai’s ‘Shape of Momo’ wins 2 awards at Busan film festival

Sikkimese filmmaker Tribeny Geeta Rai's debut film 'Shape of Momo', which explores the experiences of women navigating and negotiating social norms across generations, has won two awards at the recently concluded Busan International Film festival.

'Shape of Momo', A Nepali film, won the Taipei Film Commission Award and the Songwon Vision Award in the Vision Section of the Busan International Film Festival.

"Busan gave credibility to our work. It is special for a film from Sikkim, in Nepali, to be seen at such a platform. It gave visibility and connected us with audiences who share cultural similarities in Asia," Rai told PTI.

She said that she was excited about the film premiering at the international film festival.

"We are over the moon that our film has won two awards at Busan, and I thank our incredible cast and crew for bringing this story to life,” she said.

Awards add credibility, but with or without them, "we would still be the same bunch of filmmakers - searching and persevering", she said.

The 114-minute film is the story of a young woman, Bishnu, returning to her Himalayan village after quitting her job and the family pressures and societal expectations she faces.

Bishnu must choose between tradition and independence with her pregnant sister's arrival and a growing bond with a "suitable" boy, Rai said.

"The film came from a personal need to express myself. Women from rural areas struggle to be independent, and when they do, they often feel caught between the city and the village," she said.

The filmmaker said that she felt this deeply when she returned to her village, Nandok in East Sikkim, after finishing her studies at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI).

"The film is, however, more than my own story. It is a layered and nuanced reflection on gender, class and the struggles of ordinary people to live on their own terms," she said.

Rai pointed out that for her, filmmaking is an earnest reflection of life and even in this film, "I have tried to objectively share the experiences of several women, including my own, as truthfully as possible".

"My job as a filmmaker is to be observant. Like any other art form, cinema is a way of getting closer to understanding what life is. I also believe that cinema is not merely a spectacle or an escape; its essence lies in the smaller details that gradually reveal a larger universe", she said.

Rai said that most of her crew members are from film schools such as SRFTI and FTII.

"It was very important for me to work with like-minded people, as it made the entire process deeply collaborative and meaningful. I don't think I would have been able to make this film without Kislay, who is the co-writer, co-editor and one of the producers of the film," she said.

She said that the filmmaking industry in Sikkim is still at a nascent stage and for an independent filmmaker, the challenges are endless.

"I thought making the film would be the hardest part, but I have since learned that figuring out what to do with the film after making it can be even more difficult," she said.

Besides, working with a limited budget had its own struggles but also some unique advantages, as it certainly forced us to be creative and resourceful, the filmmaker added.

Rai said that she grew up in a household where television viewing was restricted, and until class 10, she mostly watched Doordarshan on TV which she believes nurtured her habit of reading stories.

"The love for storytelling grew naturally and eventually brought me to filmmaking. I cannot pinpoint one single moment that led me here. It was a series of influences and experiences that shaped this path,” she said.

Asked about her future film projects, Rai said there were a couple of ideas, but these are yet to be fully developed.

"I, however, know that my next work will continue to explore the nature of human beings, as that is what intrigues me the most at this point in my life,” she said.