ONCE UPON A VILLAGE

About the film

In the Himalayan foothills, an 80- year- old woman and a 19-year-old girl are two of the seven remaining inhabitants of an abandoned village. The two women struggle with the choice to leave for alienating city life or continue living in a lonely village. As the film progresses, the two women face the invisible but palpable forces of migration. Their emotional journey changes their relationship with the place they call “Home”.

Filmmaker's Statement

My friendship with Leela Devi began during one visit to my own ancestral village. Her resilience in loneliness and dynamic personality drew me towards her. As she worked in the light and shadow of her kitchen, I saw a film emerge. With this as anchorage, I set out to understand other experiences in the village. In contrast to Leela, Golu occupies a quiet space in the film. In the hesitant silences between her sentences, she communicated to me the impracticality of her life in this village. The film style re-creates the pace of the village and its residents. Life here is slow and quiet. This ethos is represented in wide frames and long, staying visuals. By focusing on the environment as a strong element, the film aims to break out of a human-centric telling of the story of migration. The film captures movement, destruction and circularity taking place in nature - forest fire and mountain blasting; and on a philosophical note, a female flying ant shedding her wings to start a new colony.

About the director

Srishti is an independent filmmaker. 'Ek Tha Gaon' is her debut documentary feature about migration from the Himalayas, which she filmed in her own ancestral village. Srishti has also worked on many short films on culture, politics and agriculture of the Himalayan people. She has produced films for international organizations, government bodies, national and international television Channels. Srishti has been associated with grassroots organizations across India to conduct filmmaking programs and workshops.