In the Land of Poison Women explained

In the Land of Poison Women
Director:Manju Borah
Producer:Manju Borah
Music:Aniruddha Borah
Cinematography:Sudheer Palsane
Editing:A Sreekar Prasad
Production Companies:-->
Distributors:-->
Runtime:104 minutes
Country:India
Language:Pangchenpa, Hindi, English

In the Land of Poison Women, also known as Bishkanyar Deshot, is a 2019 Pangchenpa language feature film from India by Manju Borah. The story is based on distinguished litterateur Yeshe Dorjee Thongchi’s much acclaimed work.[1] The language Pangchenpa is used by Monpa tribe with a population of just around 5000, settled near the India-China border region, some hundred kilometres West of Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh, India.[2] [3] [4]

Plot

Sangra and Lusang's two children and four others die after consuming a local wine that was prepared by Lusang. She is ostracised by her community over their superstitious belief of her being a doumoh – a poison woman.

Filming

The film was shot at picturesque locations of lower and upper Himalaya, in Arunachal Pradesh, India. The 30 people crew and equipment came from Bombay and Guwahati and took four days to reach the shoot location crossing Sela Pass which is the world's second highest motorable road.[5]

The director was not familiar with the language, she had to learn the language, and also used a language assistant to direct and edit the film.

Awards

!Year!Film Festival!Category!Result!
2019International Film Festival of IndiaIndian Panorama
2019National Films AwardBest Feature Film in PangchenpaWonThe film is a depiction of an individual's effort to break the myth of ‘poison women’ in a remote part of Arunachal Pradesh.

Cast

Notes and References

  1. Web site: A mysterious tale : manju borah's 'bishkanyar deshot' | Arunachal24. October 10, 2018.
  2. Web site: A Mysterious Tale Manju Borah's 'Bishkanyar Deshot' - Sentinelassam. 21 October 2018. www.sentinelassam.com. 13 June 2020.
  3. Web site: Double delight for Arunachal, YD Thongchi. www.thehillstimes.in. 13 June 2020.
  4. Web site: TIME8 - 66th National Film Awards: When 3 Women Filmmakers From Assam Smashed The Glass Ceiling. 12 August 2019. 13 June 2020.
  5. Web site: In the Land of Poison Women - IFFI Goa . 2020-06-04 . 2020-10-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201025221002/https://iffigoa.org/land-poison-women/ . dead .
  6. Web site: Bishkanyar Deshot. mubi.com.