UNSEEN MEGHALAYA: Not seen by many

There are many films on bridges world over and there are some films with the word bridge. But “Unseen Meghalaya— Journey into the Unexplored Living Root Bridges” earned the award for best short documentary film at the recently concluded 14th Jaipur International Film Festival, highlighting the beauty of Meghalaya’s living root bridges (JIFF). Incidentally, the tipple decker unique bridge made from living roots of trees is the world’s only live root bridge, an ancient natural legacy unique to Northeast India’s Khasi woods.

The film takes the audience on a journey with Morningstar and his young apprentice via the world’s only triple decker living root bridge and the world’s longest living root bridge. These bridges, which were once the essential part of tribal societies, are now threatened by modernisation, climate change, and neglect despite its immense tourist attraction. These bridges which often work as lifelines of the local tribals are woven from the root of the big trees tied to bamboo poles.

Morningstar Khongthaw, a 24-year-old Khasi native, has taken it upon himself to conserve and maintain the root bridges, which his tribe believes are their ancestors’ spiritual heritage, erected with ancient ways passed down through centuries in this secluded jungle wonderland. Simran Gill, the creator of Film Trotters Media, is the film’s creative producer and script writer. The short film, created by famous filmmaker Sapan Narula and produced by Canon India.

We are happy to have won the best short documentary film at the prestigious 14th Jaipur International Film Festival, 2021,” the team of Unseen Meghalaya remarked in response to their achievement at JIFF. The entire team would like to express their gratitude to the jury for choosing our film, which presents a lovely story about a strong link between nature and a 24-year-old Khasi kid named Morningstar Khongthaw who is fighting to conserve and preserve his natural heritage.”

The film, Unseen Meghalaya has also been selected for screening at a number of prestigious film festivals around the world.

Source: Himalayan News Chronicle