The documentary “Rain In The Mirror” about three generations of Buddhist monks from one family living in Sikkim near Tibet border will be screened at the 35th Göteborg International Film Festival, the largest film festival in Scandinavia. The documentary film co-produced by NHK, Japan has been directed by Nilanjan Bhattacharya. It has also been supported by Göteborg International Film Festival’s Film Fund. This year the festival is being held from Jan 27-Feb 6, 2012 in Goteborg, Sweden. GIFF is a very reputed international film festival in which in the year 2011, 443 films from 76 countries were screened.

Nilanjan Bhattacharya is a Calcutta based filmmaker. He won National Film Award for his documentary, ‘Under This Sun’. His other works include, ‘Johar: Welcome to Our World’, a film on indigenous food culture of Jharkhand and ‘It’s Open’, an experimental video work. All his films have won critical acclaim. The documentary Johar explores traditional recipes, the medicinal qualities of various herbs, weeds and fruits and the traditional knowledge of their sustainable management by the adivasis of Jharkhand. The film also portrays how mindless, aggressive development and mismanagement have damaged the tribals’ relationship with their land and pushed them ever deeper into food insecurity.

Talking about “Rain in the Mirror” the director Nilajan said, “Modernity meets tradition in this film as director Bhattacharya filmed for nine years. Should the 10-year-old Sonam able to pass on his grandfather Dorjis magical powers to cause and stop the rain? Something that Sonam’s father Duduk never succeeded. Duduk’s family reprobate who is torn between the new and old and can not help but constantly playing the lottery. Grandfather Dorjis mythological forces are equally heavy on the family as mighty Himalayan mountain sides of the family’s home village Gangtok!” reads the synopsis of the film on the official website of the festival.

 

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