[Reader-list] KOKBOROK FILM TO BE SCREENED IN FOREIGN FESTIVAL (Courtesy: www.tripurainfo.com)

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Kokborok film to be shown in international festival
By Our Correspondent


Agartala,May 11:  For the first time a feature film based on an acute
problem afflicting Tripura´s tribal society-the accursed practice of witch
hunting and killing-in tribal kokborok language is all set to figure as one
of the entries in the weeklong 18th international film festival at Warsaw
from May 19 to 25th. ´Mathia´ (witch), a perceptive feature film authored
and directed by catholic priest Joseph Pulinthanath , revolves round the
love-affair of a young tribal boy Banthu and a girl Kwchwngti , suspected
by villagers to be a witch . The lovelorn duo had decided on marriage much
against the will of the villagers who finally picked on comely Kwchwngti as
the deadly witch casting her evil spell on the residents of the village .
Barred by village elders from interacting with his paramour Banthu met
Kwchwngti for the last time in her ´tong´ (elevated wooden hut) beside the
forest . ´I may not live long but please remember me as a normal good girl
and cry after my death´-was Kwchwngti´s last entreaty to her beloved. In
the film´s moving last scene Banthu was seen crying disconsolably even as
the girl he had loved so dearly was being led to a cruel death at the
village´s ceremonial altar for witch killing.
´Mathia´ was released at Agartala on May 18 last year and it was first
shown to an audience outside the state in Kolkata´s ´Nandan´ auditorium in
the course of International Cinema Conference (ICC) organised by ´Roopkala
Kendra´ in February this year to the acclaim of the viewers and critics .
´The international film festival held in Warsaw every year always focusses
on value-based films with a social theme and Mathia has been selected for
the attempt it makes to focus on a social evil ´said the director of the
film Mr Joseph Pulinthanath. He said that the director of the film festival
at Warsaw , Mr Andrez Januszewski , had sent a formal communique to the
office of the ´Sampari pictures´ at Bishramganj under Bishalgarh subdivsion
informing them of the admission of ´Mathia´ as a film for showing in the
festival . Mr Pulinthanath said that he would go to the festival with two
other members of the team as ´it is the first time that a film in tribal
Kokborok language has been accepted as an entry in an international film
festival.