'Angh' to premiere at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France

DIMAPUR: 'Angh' from Nagaland has been accepted at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France. Written and directed by Theja Rio from Nagaland, 'Angh' is the only Indian film to be accepted at the festival this year.

After Cannes, the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival is considered as the second-largest film fest in France. It is also an Oscar-qualifying festival. The film festival is scheduled from January 29 to February 6 this year. The fictional film — Angh is produced by Theja Rio and Nancy Nisa Beso. Angh was filmed in Nagaland in April 2019. The film is set in a village in Nagaland in 1963. It follows the life of a father and his son — the last ones to convert to Christianity in their village. The film follows their struggle to hold on to their tradition and religion.

The film is shot using a Kodak Super 16mm. It is rarely used in filmmaking today. The cast of the film were non-actors, with no prior experience in acting. The cast rehearsed the script for three months before the shooting the film started. The post-production of the film was done in Mumbai.

Although the film was from Nagaland, people from diverse backgrounds worked in the film.

'Angh' is a 22-minutes long short film, with an American/Indian music composer, Sagar Desai; an Italian cinematographer, Vincenzo Condorelli; and an Iranian editor, Hassan Hassandost.

The news was shared on Facebook by the film's producer Nancy Nisa. She wrote: "So excited and proud that our Short Film, ANGH — a story set and filmed in Nagaland has made it to the Prestigious Clermont Ferrand International Short Film Festival ( An Oscar-qualifying festival ). I think we are the only Indian film to have made it to the festival this year. Although we are sad that we won't be able to go the festival physically, excited that the films are accessible from anywhere in the world and we are up against some super amazing films out there but for us, getting to this platform has been an achievement in itself. Wish us luck!" (Agencies)

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