Unseen Meghalaya — Journey into the Unexplored Living Root Bridges earned the award for best short documentary film at the 14th Jaipur International Film Festival, highlighting the beauty of Meghalaya’s living root bridges (JIFF).
The short film, created by famous filmmaker Sapan Narula and produced by Canon India, highlights the world’s only live root bridges, an ancient natural legacy unique to North East India’s Khasi woods.
“We are happy to have won this prize for 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 storey 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.”
Story of Unseen Meghalaya
According to the description, the video 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.
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.
Screening at various other film festivals
The film, Unseen Meghalaya has also been selected for screening at a number of prestigious film festivals around the world, including Cannes International Independent Film Festival (CIIFF) 2021 (nominee); Venice Shorts 2021 (Finalist); Switzerland International Film Festival (SIFF) 2021; and Goa Short Film Festival 2021, to name a few.
ALSO READ: FARMER ALLEGEDLY SLAPS BJP MLA IN UNNAO, UTTAR PRADESH; VIRAL VIDEO