Singalila in the Himalaya

Singalila In the Himalaya
Promotional poster
Directed by George Thengummoottil
Produced by Dhanraj Gurung, George Thengummoottil
Written by George Thengummoottil, Binoy Valson
Starring
  • Surya Girish
Music by Benjamin Tissot, Edorado Romani Capelo
Cinematography George Thengummoottil, Sooraj Puthiyedam
Edited by George Thengummoottil, Nishitha Iyanahally, Dheeraj Aithal
Production
company
THEINDIA.INFO,Keratoconus Foundation India, Red Panda Tours and Travels, Felis Creations
Release date
  • 24 September 2016 (2016-09-24) (India)
,
  • 24 December 2016 (2016-12-24) (Nepal)
Running time
 17 minutes
Country India
Language English
Budget 5000 USD

Singalila in the Himalaya is a 2016 film directed by George Thengummoottil. It tells the story of a young Keratoconus patient finding his way in life to trek through the Himalayas and finds that, the best medicine for his eyes are the sights of the beautiful mountains and valleys in the Himalayas.[1] The film progress with a 14 day long trek along the border of India and Nepal, known as the Singalila Ridge from where the team enjoys panoramic views of Mount Kangchenjunga and Mount Everest.

On the 13th day, the team reach a remote village at the border of India and Nepal, inhibited by a lone nomadic yak herder. These are the last generation of nomadic yak herders found in the Himalayas.[2] The title song Singalila in the Himalaya was sung by Adithi Sivaraman, daughter of Malayalam playback singer Chitra Iyer.

Plot

George Thengummoottil, who became blind during his childhood due to an eye disorder called Keratoconus travels through the Himalayas to find solace and peace in his life.[3][4][5]

The team follow the path of three Himalayan explorers. A major part of the trek follows the trail used by Douglas William Freshfield, the British Mountaineer who encircled Mount Kangchenjunga in 1903. On day seven, the team reach Khangla Pass at the border of India and Nepal from where the team head south along the Singalila Ridge, the border between India and Nepal following the path of Joseph Dalton Hooker, to reach West Bengal.

Filming technique

Most of the film was shot in the remote mountains of Sikkim and Nepal Himalayas, inside three national parks Khangchendzonga National Park, Singalila National Park and Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary. More than 15 potters were hired to carry the equipment and food during the expedition.[1]

The film is shot on cameras charged entirely on solar panels carried by the team during the trek. They used a homemade solar charger by modifying the car battery charger.[6][7]

Track list

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Singali la in the Himalaya"Aman JohnAdithi Sivaraman1:05
2."Himalaya"Jo KellyJo Kelly10:27

Awards and nominations

Year Film Festival Country Category Award Result
2016 2nd Pokhara International Mountain Film Festival[8] Pokhara, Nepal Documentary Mountain Documentary Nominated
2017 Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF) Mountain Film Festival[9][10] New Delhi, India Mountain Documentary Special Recognition Award Won
2017 10th International Documentary and Short Film Festival of Kerala[11][11] Trivandrum, Kerala Short Documentary Competition Nominated
2017 16th Girimitra Sammelan, Audio Visual Competition Mumbai, India Documentary 3rd Won
2018 TOURFILM RIGA Riga, Latvia Adventure Nominated
2018 Kadakam Forest and Environmental; Film Festival, Silent Valley National Park, Palakkad, Kerala India Forests and Environment

Screening

Further reading

  1. Round Kangchenjunga - A Narrative of Mountain Travel and Exploration(1903) Douglas William Freshfield
  2. Himalayan Journals - Notes of a Naturalist(1855) Joseph Dalton Hooker

References

  1. 1 2 "This filmmaker designed a solar charger to shoot in the Himalayas". Factordaily.com. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  2. ↑ "Singali La: In the Himalaya (2016)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  3. ↑ "Singalila in the Himalaya - Travel Documentary | George Thengummoottil | Personal Portfolio". Theindia.info. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  4. ↑ "High on sight - Bangalore Mirror". Bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com. 2016-12-05. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  5. ↑ "Eye and my vision". The Hindu. 2017-01-13. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  6. ↑ "Video Production Gear List: Singalila in the Himalaya Documentary". Desktop-documentaries.com. 2016-11-14. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  7. ↑ "This Filmmaker Shot 14 Days Without Power in the Himalayas—Here's How". Nofilmschool.com. 2016-12-01. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  8. ↑ "SCREENING SCHEDULE : 2nd Int. Mountain Film Festival 2016" (PDF). Pokharaimff.org. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  9. ↑ "IMF Mountain Movie Festival". Mountainfilmfest.indianmountaineeringfoundation.com. 2016-01-16. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  10. ↑ "Mountain Film Festival: IMF screens 33 short adventure sports movies". Dailypioneer.com. 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
  11. 1 2 http://idsffk.in/idsffk_2017.php%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
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