TODAY -
US Premiere for "Songs Of Mashangva" at the 10th Annual MIACC Film Festival, New York
- Friday, November 12, 2010 @ 9:30PM -
Organized by MIACC (Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council)
The US premiere for "SONGS OF MASHANGVA" will be held at the 10th Annual Mahindra Indo-American Arts Council Film Festival on Friday, November 12 2010 @ 9:30PM at
the SVA Silas Theatre, NY, New York.
To get more info on MIACC Film Festival, please visit their Website here and here
SONGS OF MASHANGVA
Directed by Oinam Doren
India, 20010, 72 mins, US Premiere, English
A Blurb from the Film Festival Website:
A thousand year old musical tradition rooted in a unique tribal culture faces extinction when European education and Christian life make their way into the hilly Ukhrul district of Manipur - home to the Tangkhul Nagas. This film explores how in a modern society where 100% of the natives are now Christians, one man struggles to keep alive a folk culture, where the masters have either died or are too old. Rewben Mashangva, who is himself is a Christian, is poorly educated but passionate about reminding the Tangkhul Nagas of their past with his brand of folk and Naga-folk blues, unique ‘haokuirat’ traditional hairstyle and costumes....
You can read a more detailed synopsis on "SONGS OF MASHANGVA" at eRang review provided by Oinam Doren (the Director of this documentary)
SONGS OF MASHANGVA
About the project: The film was shot for more than a year in Shillong, Kolkatta, Rajasthan, New Delhi, Imphal, Nagaland and a number of villages in Ukhrul and Chandel district of Manipur.
Synopsis: The Tangkhul Naga tribes reside in the hilly Ukhrul district of Manipur in the northeastern part of India bordering Myanmar. Ukhrul is made up of 230 villages with 165 different languages. The Tangkhul Nagas were originally animistic in their worship and superstitious, often wage war with the neighboring villages and habituated to the locally made alcohol called 'zu' and rice beer. But they had a 1000years old very rich folk music tradition for everyday activities, rituals and seasons including war.
In 1896, Rev William Pettigrew (1869-1943), an European missionary came to Ukhrul and opened a school for the natives with the intention of preaching the gospel of Christ. Along with the education, the pre-condition of baptism was that the natives have to disregard their old lifestyle including drinking and singing folk songs which was to be replaced with hymns and choirs.
The new entrant of European education and Christian life slowly killed the original customs and traditions of the Tangkhul Nagas which had an adverse affect on its folk music traditions. Now 100% of the natives are Christians and in culmination with the technological invasion of the West, folk music is completely non-existent among the younger generation. The few masters are either death or completely old and this rich original heritage would consequently fade away with their demise.
Rewben Mashangva, who himself is a Christian but with very less education and belonging to a carpenter's family becomes a cultural ambassador of the Tangkhul Nagas reminding everyone of their past with his brand of folk and Naga-folk blues, unique 'haokuirat' traditional hairstyle and costumes.
This information is sent to e-pao.net by L Somi Roy
This announcement was webcasted on October 20, 2010.
* Comments posted by users in this discussion thread and other parts of this site are opinions of the individuals posting them (whose user ID is displayed alongside) and not the views of e-pao.net. We strongly recommend that users exercise responsibility, sensitivity and caution over language while writing your opinions which will be seen and read by other users. Please read a complete Guideline on using comments on this website.
LATEST IN E-PAO.NET
Jump Start
DBS Imphal SubSite |
Readers Mail |
Editorials |
Education Announcements |
Essay |
Exclusive Event |
Flash - Audio Visual |
Incidents |
LFS Imphal SubSite |
News Timeline |
Poetry |
Opinion |
Sports |
Rock Concert |
RSS |
Top Stories |
Wathi Jugai