Pranav Birje | Senior Correspondent
Following the grand announcement at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where Oscar and grammy award winning composer AR Rahman unveiled the first look of his documentary “Headhunting to Beatboxing” directed by Rohit Gupta; following which it was announced today that the highly anticipated documentary will see it’s world premiere at the Indian Film festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2024, Australia.
The film explores the fascinating journey in Nagaland, of rhythm and sound, tracing the evolution of music across cultures, tribes and generations. From the ancient traditions of headhunting tribes to the musical renaissance in the state (Nagaland), taking audiences on an immersive and enlightening musical anthropological odyssey.
Speaking about the film’s premiere at the festival, award winning composer AR Rahman said “The film is very special to us, as it throws light on the beautiful state of Nagaland and highlights the rich cultural and musical history it contains. Rohit and I are looking forward to the premiere and showcasing it to the audiences in Melbourne.”
Directed by Rohit Gupta and produced by AR Rahman “Headhunting to Beatboxing” will premiere at the festival, where it is also competing for the best documentary film award. In attendance at the premiere will be multiple award winning composer AR Rahman along with filmmaker Rohit Gupta.
“We are honored to be selected in competition at IFFM. I feel the narrative holds global relevance , along with the incredible healing power of music. The film has been painstakingly made over 5 years and I am excited to see the audience’s reactions to it and for them to explore the rich cultural and musical tapestry of Nagaland. Especially to hear a completely new sound coming from India.” Said filmmaker Rohit Gupta.
The film marks multiple award winner, Rahman’s second major foray into the realm of filmmaking as producer, with his earlier production ’99 Songs’ which premiered at the Busan International film festival. His vision behind the project stems from a desire to celebrate the universal language of music and its transformative power to transcend boundaries.
“When we saw the documentary, we knew there was something special to it. We are delighted to have the world premiere of the film at IFFM and have Dr Rahman and filmmaker Rohit Gupta present it to our audiences.” Said IFFM Festival Director, Mitu Bhowmick Lange.
“Headhunting to beatboxing” has been directed by Rohit Gupta and produced by AR Rahman, with Abu Metha, Adam J. Greig, Theja Meru, Rohit Gupta, Sheila Houlahan, Rohhit Daas serving as Executive producers. IFFM 2024 is celebrating its landmark 15th year and slated to commence from 15th to 25 August. The multi award winning immensely popular festival is the largest annual celebration outside India and presented by the Victorian Government .