Gangtok: Sikkimese filmmaker Tribeny Geeta Rai’s debut film ‘Shape of Momo’ has won two awards at the recently concluded Busan International Film Festival.
The Nepali-language film, which explores the experiences of women navigating and negotiating social norms across generations, bagged two major honours — the Taipei Film Commission Award and the Songwon Vision Award in the Vision Section of the Busan International Film Festival.
‘Shape of Momo’ is directed by Tribeny Rai, produced by Geeta Rai and Kislay, and co-produced by Neha Malik, Himanshu Kohli, and Jung Woo Lee.
“Busan gave credibility to our work. It is special for a film from Sikkim, in Nepali, to be seen at such a platform. It gave visibility and connected us with audiences who share cultural similarities in Asia,” Rai said.
The 114-minute film is the story of a young woman, Bishnu, who returns to her mountain village after quitting her job. What begins as a homecoming soon turns into an emotional tug-of-war as she faces family pressures, her pregnant sister’s arrival, and a new romantic connection — all while navigating the clash between tradition and independence.
“We are over the moon that our film has won two awards at Busan, and I thank our incredible cast and crew for bringing this story to life,” she stated.
“The film came from a personal need to express myself. Women from rural areas struggle to be independent, and when they do, they often feel caught between the city and the village,” Rai said.
The filmmaker said that she felt this deeply when she returned to her village, Nandok in East Sikkim, after finishing her studies at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute.
Rai said that most of her crew members are from film schools such as SRFTI and FTII.
She added that the filmmaking industry in Sikkim is still at a nascent stage and for an independent filmmaker, the challenges are endless.
