Naga artist lands dream role as international Film Fellow

Bendang Walling has been selected as a Film Fellow by the Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) to be held in November, 2016. Bendang Walling’s submission film for the fellowship is his very first short film ‘Blissful.’
The DIFF Film Fellowship is for budding young filmmakers across the Himalayan belt of India which will be held during the festival in November 2016. The fellowship was started in 2014 with the aim of encouraging filmmaking talent by bringing five selected filmmakers to attend DIFF and providing them with the opportunity to receive mentorship from established filmmakers. This year‘s mentors are filmmakers Anupama Srinivasan and Umesh Kulkarni.
Bendang Walling is a freelance theatre and film artist from Nagaland. Inspired by Kim Ki-Duk and Majid Majidi, Bendang dreams of becoming an auteur and develop his own cinematic language. He wishes to explore the hills of Nagaland for the treasure troves of folklores, myths and tales. The others selected included Tourangbam Andy a budding photographer from Imphal, Manipur and Vishal Langthasa a Mumbai-based video producer and photographer from Assam.
The Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) is a non-profit undertaking presented by White Crane Arts & Media Trust.

Director’s note on ‘BLISSFUL’:
“A thing of beauty is a joy forever” – John Keats.

Happiness is within, and cannot be measured through any materialistic value. What are we struggling and working so hard for? Isn’t it for some happiness in life? On these questions, my thought and belief is that the quest for happiness is the most significant and interesting journey of any being, and of society as a whole. An individual’s happiness contributes to the harmony of all humanity.
Many people in this day are spending crore and crore of rupees in search of happiness. However, there are also people who are content and happy with the ‘small’ things that they own or experience. This is not a comparison between the so called ‘class systems’. To put it in a simple way, happiness is within and satisfaction decides the amount of it.

About the film and team
Bendang Walling’s film “Blissful” is a story of a child’s wish and dream to own a bicycle of his own like many of his school friends. Despite the child’s dreams and desire, his mother is unable to buy one. However, one day the poverty stricken single-parent mother promises to buy a bicycle. The child finally gets his bicycle but with a twist in the story.
The role of the child is beautifully acted by Lakshing Phom. Even though, the film was his debut in acting for the screen, Lakshing performed like an established actor. The mother’s role was played by the talented Asenla Pongen.
The film directed by Bendang Walling has been ably assisted by Anungla. The director of photography is Akee Sorokhaibam assisted by cinematographers – Aakum Den and Temsukumba while colour grading is done by Imcha Jamir, sound mixing by Nokrang Longkumer, music by Anungla and Kevi Neibulie Kiso, sub-title by Susan Waten, production manager – Sennang Longchar, costume design Naro Ajung, story board- Limanungdang, sound assistants Kikameren,Tsukjem and Kilang Imsong.

A self-portrait:
The desire for the stage and the performing arts can be traced back to my childhood when drama, skits, plays and audio visual media became my inspirations. When I was six, I played the role of Jesus Christ for a short play in our community Church and this experience perhaps set me on my journey towards a fuller engagement in the dramatic arts. Even as a very young student, I acted in and directed a number of short plays for church, schools, colleges, community gatherings and public functions. I tried my best to explore and exhibit what I truly loved.
However, there came a stage when I thought a fulltime career in the performing arts was not at all feasible and I intended to pursue it just as a hobby. Then the turning point came in 2007 when I was offered the role of ‘Nukshi’ in Temjen Pongen’s film, “Ojala Kong Ajurutsu” made in the Ao language. During the course of making the film, I came to realize that the fine craft of acting was my calling.
And yet, there were many moments of dilemma growing up. Living in contemporary Naga society, one was made to feel that this calling could not be a profession. When I was being put on track to opt for a conventional or ‘normal’ career, another opportunity knocked. This was in 2008 when I participated in a 45day residential theatre workshop organized by National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. This opportunity came as a breakthrough and I realized and understood that theatre or drama was not only about art, craft and technique but also about discovering the self, the essence of humanity, and understanding the world as a whole, with love, care and respect. This silent thought within me was further vindicated when I decided to apply for a three-year course in the dramatic arts, cleared the selection procedure and got into drama school.
Life at NSD was a totally different world and environment for me. I struggled a lot during the first year, but as I had decided that the rigorous training was not going to hold me back I did not even rest after classes for many a day.
Acting is fun as it also helps break through the language barrier. During my initial months in NSD, I also had to struggle with the primary medium of instruction which was Hindi. As I had to perform in Hindi, at certain points I even contemplated giving it all up, but these frustrating moments also passed and I progressed. The second and third years went smoothly and I could associate myself with elements of the professionalism that NSD imparted, and got to know just what was going on around the world in theatre and the performing arts. Here we had a chance to interact with actors and personalities of national renown, as well as learn from internationally renowned theatre personalities who came to NSD from all over the globe.
In my final year, many of my teachers asked me to stay back in Delhi, but my intuition was to be in my home state, where the theatrical arts, both experimental and conventional, needed a qualitative change both in terms of form and content. When I returned in 2012, I had to start from the roots; practicing and living theatre necessitates the coming together of hidden talents with adequate resources.
Despite all the hardships, my Hill Theatre group and I have been able to make full-fledged theatre productions in the last four years. And I still have the hunger to craft more.

Awards & Acknowledgements:
1. NEZCC-Ministry of Culture Talented Artistes Award 2008-09, for theatre.
2. AO Student’s Excellency Award 2009, for theatre
3. Changkikong Student’s Conference, Awardee for theatre
4. Acting role in the Bollywood film “Detective Byomkesh Bakshy”
EMN