Shillong, Aug 17: Garo Hills based film director Dominic Sangma has once again shined at the big stage by winning the Best Director Critic Choice Award for his movie Rapture (Rimdogittanga) at the Indian Film Festival Melbourne, Australia.
The festival is being held from August 15 to 25, 2024.
The Garo filmmaker from the North East won the prestigious award while competing alongside well-known film-makers like Kiran Rao for Lapata Ladies, Hemant Rao, and Diwa Shah for Bahadur.
The movie “Rapture,” takes audiences on a mesmerizing journey into the heart of Meghalaya’s Garo Hills, where it explores the intricate interplay between gullibility and tolerance within a rural village.
‘Rapture’ is currently being screened in Tura at the Tura District Auditorium; it will be screened till August 25.
Rapture, presented in the Garo language, weaves a compelling narrative around a 10-year-old boy grappling with night blindness. In his world, every night becomes a haunting ordeal as the village succumbs to the fear of child-kidnappers. It delves into the deep cultural and spiritual realms of the Garo community.
It made its debut in March this year across 100 theatres in France.
Dominic Sangma’s feature film ‘MA.AMA’ became the first Garo film to win a National Award. The film won the Best Cinematography Award at the 22nd Shanghai International Film Festival 2019. It also won Best Film at the 14th International Film Festival of Thrissur.
Sangma’s second feature film ‘Rapture’ has become a huge success on the film festival circuit. It was world premiered in the Locarno Film Festival, won the Best Cultural Diversity award in the Asian Pacific Screen Awards in Brisbane, Australia, won NETPAC Award in MAMI, Mumbai, won Honourable Mention Award at Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles. He was on Juries for the Indian Panorama, IFFI, and Guwahati International Short Film and Documentary Film Festival; he was also on a Preview Committee for the International Film Festival of India. He was also selected for Berlinale Talents 2020.
 at the Indian Film Festival Melbourne, Australia.){kind=link}