I’m a self-taught filmmaker with a 22+ years of experience in the field of direction & Production, I would like to enhance my skills and utilize my creativity for the advancement of the film industry in North-East India especially my home state Meghalaya, and It has always been my personal desire to showcase the immense talent pool available in the State of Meghalaya, and North east in general. Further, such opportunities provide me an opportunity to further develop my learning in the field of filmmaking. The recent achievement of being conferred with Kim Jiseok Award for my film Ïewduh-Market (2019) at the prestigious Busan International Film Festival 2019 in South Korea. And also my previous films received best Khasi film at the National Film Awards 2014 and 2016 in India for the films RI–Homeland of Uncertainty (2013), Onaatah: Of the Earth (2016) and also further witnessing both the films being selected for the Indian panorama at the International Film Festival of India 2014 and 2016, and that has renewed my vigor and desire to further create more meaningful films for the benefit of the general population in North East India.
Producer’s Profile
Continuing with the legacy of my father Late Mr. Pomu Das who has over the years been a part of distribution of various Hindi films and has produced digital films and co-produced various Khasi films such as Hep, Dei Maphi, Meshua and Melody (2012), RI-Homeland of Uncertainty (2013) and Onaatah: Of the Earth (2016), we are launching Pomu fiilms. THE ELYSIAN FIELD will be the first film under this banner. Though with THE ELYSIAN FIELD, I, Pradip Kurbah would be debuting as a producer officially, I have been looking after production of my all the films that I have produced over the first decade and a half. That includes all the names mentioned above and also my latest film Iewduh-Market (2019). The line production of the same film was done internally. THE ELYSIAN FIELD will allow me to take that experience to the next level and be a part of the film from the start to finish.
Synopsis
The Elysian Field tells us the story of 6 elderly people. Even though the village has seen migration all of them have stayed back not by compulsion but choice. The village has no access to proper roads and has intermittent electricity and little or no cell phone network. The villagers cope with loss and loneliness, put their past behind and move forward. And all of them have something to look forward to. There’s the village bachelor whose only family is a goat. He dedicates his time in spirituality. His friend is the retired widower and military man who’s been mostly away from the village for decades, but has never forgotten to come back for his wife’s birthday. His purpose is to create sustainable electricity for the village. There’s the grieving husband and doting son who’s the youngest in the village. The center of his world is his octogenarian mother, who’s also been a teacher to all the other characters. The other woman in the village is feisty, who knows she wants a lot more than what she is getting. While her husband has drowned himself in alcohol, that has ultimately driven a wedge in their relationship One day when her husband suddenly dies, it gives her a new lease of life. Without guilt she begins to live and celebrate whatever life is left. And two gentlemen of the village fall in love with her. misunderstandings happen and friendships are put to test. But is she even interested in them?
Director’s Statement
With the changing world order, I see myself in the characters of The Elysian Field thirty years from now. The very idea, of having someone to care for you, once you cross a certain age is fast changing. And this story tells the elderly that whether they choose loneliness or solitude is for them to decide. No one, not their kid, not society gets to tell them what they should do. Once we forget to enjoy our own company, we embark on the journey of depression, which if not talked about, will be the biggest killer disease. With this story, we’d like to tell the elderly that solitude is essentially not a bad thing. There are older people living in the midst of their family, with children and grandchildren, but yet sometimes they are lonely. Also, we made old age too one dimensional. That could be the time when people embark on the journey of exploration. They’ve done everything for their families, contributed to society and when they retire from office or home, they should have the agency to make choices that make them happy. Ageism should not let them stop themselves from learning a new skill, wearing a costume they’ve never worn, trying a new color or falling in love with someone new. Old age could be the age of sunshine. And rain. And spring that brings new colors! It essentially does not have to be always winter.
