Imphal, October 18 2010: Songs of Mashangva, a 82 minute musical film produced & directed by Oinam Doren starring Rewben Mashangva, the father of Naga folk blues and his 9 year old son Saka Mashangva would have its world premiere at DOK Leipzig Germany on Tuesday 19.2010, Universum, 16.30 hrs and on Wednesday 20.2010, Cin�math�que in der naTo, 22.15hrs. The festival reports that it received about 2,800 submissions from 97 different countries out of which about 300 films would be screened.

Dok Leipzig says about Songs of Mashangva, "It's always the same old story: what do Christian missionaries do when they invade indigenous cultures? They ban the old gods and everything that reminds people of them: songs, language, holidays, names.

And they raise the threat of hell.

The Tangkhul Naga in northeast India didn't fare any better than the tribes of South America in this respect.

That disastrous missionary fervour destroyed a rich cultural heritage which in the case of the Tangkhul Naga spanned more than thousand years and is now threatened with final extinction.

This is the background on which Indian filmmaker Oinam Doren looks at the work of his charismatic protagonist Rewben Mashangva, who travels through the remote villages of the Tangkhul Naga to talk to the old people and collect songs and instruments.

The rhythms, melodies and lyrics form links to his own music, which he describes as Naga Folk Blues and uses to spread the message that there is no reason to be ashamed of one's own culture and regard Western culture as superior.

But the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence � taking everything into account, he still has a long way to go" .

Songs of Mashangva was shot for more than a year in various remote villages of Ukhrul district of Manipur, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Kolkatta, Shillong and in Imphal.

The film had its all India premiere on 23rd August, 2010 in New Delhi.

On 25th October 2010, Songs of Mashangva would have its Manipur premiere as the opening film of Asian Cinema Week in Imphal which is being organised by Mamikon.

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