Films Division played a vital role in me becoming a Film Maker: Anungla Zoe Longkumer
Land is not a commodity for sale, It can only be shared’: Director Shibu Prusty

Mumbai: 2 Feb. 2020

Anungla Zoe Longkumer : “Log Drum is an important part in the life of the Naga people. The beating of the Log drum is used to celebrate the victory during war, to seek blessings during ceremonies and festivals; and it is also used as a sign of warning during emergencies”, director of documentary film The Making Of Changlangshu’s New Logdrum, Anungla Zoe Longkumer said to the media in a press conference at MIFF2020 today.

“Films Division played a vital role in me becoming a Film Maker. A few years before the FD conducted a 10 day workshop on Film Making in Nagaland. I was one among the few selected for the workshop. My interest in music, films and art took to a new height after attending this workshop. I realized how powerful this medium is. I request FD to conduct more and more of such workshops even in the remotest parts of our country, because there are many untold and unheard stories”, she added.

This documentary is about the traditional practice of the Nagas that lost significance with the arrival of Missionaries in India in1800 and gradually the practice stopped completely. However after a gap of 57 years, the Konyak village of Changlangshu decided to cut and carve out a new Logdrum for themselves. It shows how a Naga tradition long abandoned came to life through the sheer faith and hard work of a people who believed they could make it.

Shibu Prusty: The Motherland Land’ is a 60 minute documentary that screams out ‘Land is our birthright’.  “Land is not a commodity for sale, It can only be shared’, Director Shibu Prusty at MIFF2020, which has shortlisted his film under National Category.

Shibu also said that in a developing country like India, land acquisition by industries have forced majority of people to live in misery. Because of this the disparity between the rich and the poor has increased and it is unfortunate that approximately 40 people of the country hold around 80 percent of the wealth.

The film is based on land grabbing for industrialization, unemployment and is shot in Orissa capturing the story of Kalinganagar. Suggesting changes in existing reforms, he said, "Just like flats and apartments, land can also be given on rent so that ownership is not lost".

The film is narrated from the perspective protagonist Mayadhar Nayak who had worked on these issues for more than five decades. ‘I have come up with a solution which is bothering not only India but also the whole world’, he said.