Saturday, January 28, 2012

Popstars - upcoming feature film

title: Popstars

duration: 100mins

format: 35mm

genre: musical comedy

one liner: two simple indian girls want to imitate an eccentric american popstar.

the next song - press kit





TRI presents
FACG
In co- production with
OURVILLAGE FILMS
Produced with the support of TRIBAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE

A film by OINAM DOREN
Produced by OINAM DOREN & REWBEN MASHANGVA
Written & directed by OINAM DOREN

Duration: 50 min
Format : dvcam
Color


THE NEXT SONG

Written & directed by
OINAM DOREN

Music & vocals

KASOMWO MAHANGTHEI
REWBEN MASHANGVA

our consultant
NGACHONMI CHAMROY

Unit production manager
THOTNGAM SHIMRAH (ATHOD)

Editor
BIJU DAS

CHAOBA THIYAM

Director of photography
OINAM DOREN

Sound recordist
SUNIL LOITONGBAM

Sound design
SHANKAR SAPAM


Narraton
REWBEN MASHANGVA
ASOMWO MAHANGTHEI

Translation consultant
NGACHONMI CHAMROY

REWBEN MASHANGV

Transportation
JACOB WUNGNAOWUNG
HW KINGSWORD
AJAY SINGH

APEM LONGPINAO

Our travel agent
SHINE TRAVELS

Assistants
camera
RAWON NGAINGA
NABAM TADI
JOYCHANDRA
PRABIN

Production
JOYKUMAR KH
AYESHA LANGSTIEH

Postproduction assistant
BOYNAO
ROBI

Rajasthani folk singers
NENU RAM & GUDI


‘Our story’
Performed by
REWBEN MASHANGVA
SAMMY(DHANASHREE)
HARABA
ABOW
SHAMLEE
JOYCE
RINGO GOLMEI
L SUNIL

Stock footages
KHAMLANG VILLAGE AUTHORITY

Folk singers at Longpi village
M. NGAZEK
T.MAICHIN
S.VAREINGAM
SR. KHANGANG

Two women in Longpi village
THARMILA
HUIMILA SASA

Shot on location
IMPHAL
KOLKATTA
JODHPUR
UKHRUL
CHOITHAR VILLAGE
LONGPI VILLAGE
LUNGHAR VILLAGE
HUNPUNG VILLAGE
HUNDUNG VILLAGE

Post-production
SHALLOW RIVER
STUDIO

Songs recorded & mixed at
SHALLOW RIVER STUDIO, IMPHAL

Songs recorded & mixed by
SUNIL LOITONGBAM

Equipment rental
SHALLOW RIVER STUDIO
OURVILLAGE STUDIO
ROMI LAMABAM

Our special thanks to
RACHEL SHIMRAY
(UKHRUL)

DIVYA BHATIA
festival director
Rajasthan international folk festival

MAHESH DEORI
regional director
Indian Chamber of Commerce

DEVDUTTA THOUDAM

RANJAN PALLIT & VASUDHA
(KOLKATTA)

WUNGNAM MASHANGVA
WUNGNANG SUI
(LONGPI VILLAGE)

L.W.MAYAR
(LUNGHAR VILLAGE)


MASHUN
PROFESSIONAL STUDIO
UKHRUL

Produced with the support of
TRIBAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE



THE NEXT SONG

About the project: The idea for the project started way back in college in Shillong when I was a student and heard Rewben Mashangva’s first album TANTIVY from a classmate; an Angami Naga girl.  The music of the album lacked maturity and form but the lyrics and the unique tune rooted to Tangkhul Naga folk music touched me completely.  It was something I had never heard before. Years had passed. Rewben has grown in stature; both in music and status and I have become a filmmaker.


THE NEXT SONG is the 2nd part of the 3 project series with Rewben Mashangva. The 1st part SONGS OF MASHANGVA  made in 2010 won the National Award, the highest filmmaking award in India given by the President. The 3rd part would be a feature film THE LONELY VILLAGE ; a hilarious film about how a Naga village disappeared from the planet.


Synopsis:
The return journey  of two tangkhul tribes, two pioneering musicians  in Northeastern India whose more than 1000 years old folk music tradition is under threat of disappearing  due to Christianity and pop culture of the west.

Mahangthei grew up learning the western hymns and leading the life of a singing ministry travelling from one village to another. But then, he decided to bring in the rich traditions of their forefathers into the church by rearranging the western hymns with the folk tunes reminding the converted tangkhul tribes of their past.

Rewben Mashangva also grew up singing gospels in the church and listening to American rock bands. But he fits english lyrics with his tribe’s folk tunes heralding a new genre which he called Hao music.


THE NEXT SONG


PRODUCTION NOTE:

I heard about Mahangthei’s story during the making of the prequel Songs of Mashangva.  He was squeezed into 2 scenes in the film due to the limitations imposed by the narrative and the theme.  His story was kind of unheard of
and very contradictory to what was happening in the tangkhul community or any other small communities affected by the coming of Christianity. Indigenous cultures were running away from their identity or being lured away by the promise of a new Christian life. But Mahangthei was bringing his own folk music inside the church inspite of growing up in a Christian family and preaching about the gospel as a singing ministry. Some of the church people misunderstood him due to the irony. What also made his story more multi-faceted is that his father was among the first tangkhuls who got converted into Christianity and they were banished from the village by the village authorities for defying the traditional customs.
If Mahangthei was bringing the ignored tangkhul folk songs into the church in the form of hymns, Rewben Mashangva was spreading the disappearing tangkhul folk songs into foreign soil and luring the younger generation of the tangkhuls by fusing with guitar. 20 years back when he started off, the church misunderstood him and his own people could’nt really appreciate the significance of his small steps.  Today a few youngsters have come up
due to his influence trying to promote their own music inspite of the strong gospel/rock music presence in the tangkhul society.

Mahangthei and Mashangva are heroes of the indigenous people; their stories worth of salt that needs to be shared with other communities.