Tribeny Rai
Tribeny Rai. Image - Northeast Now

A short film, Chori’, by a young Sikkimese  filmmaker Tribeny Rai, has been shortlisted for screening at the upcoming 1st Nagaon International Short and Documentary Film Festival.

The film festival will be held on September 8 and 9 at Assam’s Nagaon.

Twenty-seven-year-old Tribeny Rai hails from Nandok near Ranipool in East Sikkim.

This 10-minute-long short film in Nepali language has been selected in the North East India [Short Film] category. There are seven films in this category, in which five are from Assam and one from Sikkim and one from Mizoram.

Tribeny mentioned that ‘Chori’ was an autobiographical short film based on gender discrimination and has been prepared with zero budget. The film has been produced by Dalley Khorsani productions and has been shot in Nandok and its adjacent village, Nimthang.

She expressed that gender discrimination was one the greatest problems that still plague the society. “The film actually began as a personal video journal where I could simply vent out my emotions. I was very skeptical about sending it to film festivals or screening it in public because it is extremely personal,” she added.

However, Tribeny’s mother, Geeta Rai suggested her to tell this story to the people and even insisted her to submit the film to this particular festival. “This film wouldn’t see the light of the day without my mother’s conviction and faith in the film,” she said.

The 1st Nagaon International Short and Documentary Film Festival organized by CINEMALAY in association with Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankaradeva Viswavidyalaya, Nagaon. Nagaon is the birth place of great saint Srimanta Sankardeva.

The festival showcases short and documentary films from the filmmakers around the globe. Documentaries and short films from foreign countries and also from filmmakers in India are being screened at the two-day film festival.

Sagar Chhetri is Northeast Now Correspondent in Gangtok. He can be reached at: [email protected]