Sikkim’s Tribeny Geeta Rai wins big at Busan Film Festival with Shape of Momo

Sikkim’s Tribeny Geeta Rai wins big at Busan Film Festival with Shape of Momo

Sikkimese filmmaker Tribeny Geeta Rai has marked a powerful international debut at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) with her Nepali-language film Shape of Momo, which bagged two major honours, the Taipei Film Commission Award and the Songwon Vision Award in BIFF’s Vision Section.

Rai’s film, which explores the emotional and social realities of women balancing tradition and independence in the Himalayas, was celebrated for its authenticity and depth.

“Busan gave credibility to our work. It is special for a film from Sikkim, in Nepali, to be seen at such a platform. It gave visibility and connected us with audiences who share cultural similarities in Asia,” Rai told PTI.

Overjoyed by the double win, the filmmaker said, “We are over the moon that our film has won two awards at Busan, and I thank our incredible cast and crew for bringing this story to life.”

Yet, she added that awards were only one part of the creative journey: “Awards add credibility, but with or without them, we would still be the same bunch of filmmakers, searching and persevering.”

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The 114-minute film follows Bishnu, a young woman returning to her Himalayan village after quitting her city job, torn between family expectations and personal freedom.

Rai shared that the story came from her own experience of returning to her hometown, Nandok in East Sikkim, after studying at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute. “It’s more than my story; it’s a layered reflection on gender, class, and the struggle to live on one’s own terms,” she explained.

Calling filmmaking an act of observation, Rai said, “Cinema isn’t just spectacle or escape — its essence lies in the smaller details that reveal a larger universe.” She credited her SRFTI and FTII-trained team for the film’s vision, especially co-writer and producer Kislay.

Rai also highlighted the struggles of independent filmmaking in Sikkim, from limited budgets to lack of distribution support, but noted that those challenges made the process “deeply collaborative and resourceful.” Her next project, she said, will continue exploring “the nature of human beings,” a theme she finds endlessly fascinating.