Imphal : Haobam Paban Kumar’s second narrative feature in Manipuri and Tangkhul language- Nine Hills One Valley is finally set to world premiere at Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival 2021 in Indonesia.
The film, among 17 Asian films selected, will be screened in Asia Perspectives of the 16th edition of the 8-day festival
beginning from November 27.
Nine Hills One Valley is about Anam Ahum, a Tangkhul Naga from the hills who travels to Imphal city to meet his daughter before she leaves for New Delhi in search of a job. During the journey, he encounters different people and heard their stories about ethnic clashes and other issues.
About the film, Paban Kumar said, “The desire for ethnic supremacy and the emergence of politics of identity had put the people to an unceasing violence, amplifying further mistrust and animosity amongst its population. Yet, in the face of distressing memories, hope thrives.
My film is a testimony of the brutishness of ethnic clash heard from the victims.”
Anam Ahum is the main protagonist of the 75–minute long film- Nine Hills One Valley was produced by Warepam Jhansirani and Haobam Paban Kumar for Oli Pictures. National Film Awardee Irom Maipak and Ranjan Palit were cameramen. The sound was done by Sukanta Majumdar and Editing by Sankha and Story, Screenplay and Direction by Haobam Paban Kumar.
Haobam Paban Kumar is a prominent voice emitting out of the restive northeastern state of Manipur, dabbling in both non-fiction and fiction storytelling. His documentary AFSPA 1958 brought many accolades including the first Swarna Kamal for Manipur at the 56th National Film Awards 2009.
He made the critically acclaimed feature film, Loktak Lairembee in 2016. The film featured at 67th Berlin Film Festival 2017.
Individually, he is managing -Cinema Imphal Foundation, a trust for the promotion of Cinema, as its Founding Managing Director. Paban won four National film awards and his seven films were selected in Indian Panorama of International Film Festival of India.
Currently, he is shooting his third narrative feature. Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival ( JAFF ) is a premier Asian film
festival in Indonesia focusing on the development of Asian cinema.
This festival not only contributes to introducing Asian cinema to a the wider public in Indonesia, but it also provides a space for the the intersection of many sectors such as arts, culture, and tourism.
Since its inception, JAFF has worked closely with NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema), a worldwide organization of 30 member countries. Headquartered in Colombo Srilanka, NETPAC is a pan-Asian film and cultural organization involving critics, filmmakers, the festival organizes and curators, distributors and exhibitors, as well as
educators.
It is considered a leading authority in Asian cinema.
Other films to be screened included Oscar winner Asghar Farhadi’s A Hero (Iran), Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s two films-Drive My Car (Japan) and Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy(Japan), Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria (Thailand), Anocha Suwichakornpong’s Come Here (Thailand), Lamin Oo’s Three Stages (Myanmar), Arfan Sabran’s Bara (Indonesia), Da
Fei’s The Coffin Painter ( China), Wen Shipei’s Are You Lonesome Tonight? (China), Supriya Suri’s Aruna Vasudev-Mother of Asian Cinema (India), Andrew Campbell’s Marapu, Fire & Ritual (Indonesia) Khairi Anwar’s Mentega Terbang (Malaysia), Jacky Yeap’s Sometime Sometime (Malaysia), Hong Sang-oo’s In Front of Your Face (South Korea), Tan
Bee Thiam’s Tiong Bahru Social Club (Singapore) and Abdullah Mohammad Saad’s Rehana Maryam Noor (Bangladesh/Singapore).
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