
Ek Tha Gaon (Once Upon A Village)
Ek Tha Gaon (Once Upon A Village)
“In our village, we have a saying: the dead come back to visit the living. Now those of us who remain have only these ghosts for company.” Semla is a ghost village in the Himalayan foothills. Climate change and dwindling prospects have driven the 50 families that once lived here to migrate to cities. With this migration, farming livelihoods connected to the terrain and seasons have faded away. Like her village, Leela is old, resilient, and forgotten. Despite loneliness and struggles with an aging body, Leela does not want to leave. Golu is the only young person in the village. Desperate to escape but without the means to do so, Golu roams around the abandoned village. The emotional journey of the two women changes their relationship with the place they call home. A way of life struggles to stay relevant.
“In our village, we have a saying: the dead come back to visit the living. Now those of us who remain have only these ghosts for company.” Semla is a ghost village in the Himalayan foothills. Climate change and dwindling prospects have driven the 50 families that once lived here to migrate to cities. With this migration, farming livelihoods connected to the terrain and seasons have faded away. Like her village, Leela is old, resilient, and forgotten. Despite loneliness and struggles with an aging body, Leela does not want to leave. Golu is the only young person in the village. Desperate to escape but without the means to do so, Golu roams around the abandoned village. The emotional journey of the two women changes their relationship with the place they call home. A way of life struggles to stay relevant.
Original Language
Garhwali/ India
Direction
Srishti Lakhera
Camera
Amith Surendran/ Kai Tillman
Editing
Bhamati Sivapalan
Sound
Nithin Lukose
Script
Srishti Lakhera
Producer
Srishti Lakhera/ Bhamati Sivapalan