‘Semkhor’- the first Diamasa language film got selected for international competition of 52nd International Film Festival of India. The film is directed by Aimee Baruah, renowned actress from Assam. Semkhor is also the first film directed by Aimee Baruah.
The nine day long 52nd International Film Festival of India is going to be held in Goa from 20th November, 2021. On 11th November IFFI has released the line-up of international movies for competition during the festival. The best of the feature length fiction films from all over the world are selected to compete in the section. It is one of the most important sections of the festival that features some of the best films of the year and these 15 films compete for the Golden Peacock and other awards. Semkhor also one of these 15 films.
Aimee Baruah’s film ‘Semkhor’ won a total of three awards at the Tagore International Film Festival in May 2021. The awards were ‘Best Narrative’, ‘Best Female Film’ and ‘Best Debut Filmmaker’ award. Aimee Baruah herself played the role of a protagonist in the film. In August 2021, she won the ‘Best Actress’ award for Semkhor at the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival.
Plot of the film – Semkhor
The award winning Dimasa language film portrays the customs, rituals, and folk beliefs of the people of Semkhor, the Semsa tribe that keep themselves away from modernization, and remain disconnected from the outside world.
Semkhor is a remote village located in Maibong tehsil of Dima Hasao District in Assam is the main background of the film. Semkhor is a very remote and unprivileged village and is inhabited by Dimasa community. It is situated 30km away from sub-district headquarter Maibong and 82km away from district headquarter Haflong.
Who are Dimasas ?
Dimasa people are an ethnolinguistic community inhabiting in Assam, Nagaland and Manipur in northeast India. They speak Dimasa language, a Tibetan-Burman language.
Dimasas are one of the oldest inhabitants of the northeast part of India. They mostly live in Dima Hasao district, an autonomous district of Assam. Apart from Dima Hasao, Dimasa’s are in different areas of Diphu and Howrahat areas of Anglong district, West Karbi Anglong, Kampur area of Nagaon district, Hojai, Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj districts of Assam, Dimapur in Nagaland and Jiribam district of Manipur.