Once Upon A Village

“Villagers have a saying that 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.The 50 families that once lived in the village have migrated to the city, leaving behind 7 people. Leela is old and resilient, but she doesn’t want to leave for the city. Golu is the only young person in the village. She is desperate to escape to the city but doesn’t have the means. These women face the invisible but palpable forces of migration. Their emotional journey changes their relationship with the place they call “Home.” Ek Tha Gaon explores life in a dying village where a haunting absence lingers.

Directed by Srishti Lakhera
Produced by Srishti Lakhera and Bhamati Sivapalan
Written by Srishti Lakhera

About the filmmaker: Srishti Lakhera is a filmmaker whose now decade long career as a filmmaker and a media trainer has seen many accolades. She is here with her award winning debut documentary feature Ek Tha Gaon (Once Upon A Village) which is about the migration from the Himalayas. In 2019 she co-directed Ishq Dosti & All That, a film produced for PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING TRUST(PSBT). She has produced films for international organizations like UNISDR, the Forest Department of Uttarakhand, Channel News Asia, and more. Srishti is also associated with grassroots organisations across India that conduct Filmmaking workshops for marginalized communities.

LIVESTREAM Q&A on 11/14 at 12:15 P.M. EST