Finding hope through music

And to celebrate this spirit of resilience of the Dec 2004 tsunami survivors, a unique documentary titled the Laya Project is being screened in the city. An award-winning audio-visual journey through the folk communities of six countries affected by the 2004 tsunami, the project has been produced at the EarthSync studio based in Chennai. It will be shown at Mocha, Koregaon Park on November 30 at 12 pm.

8220;After the tsunami, the whole world8217;s focus was on the death and destruction wrought in affected areas. However, since we are passionate about music, we wanted to document the folk and traditional music forms of the coastal communities,8221; says Sonya Mazumdar, producer of Laya Project.

A celebration of sound, documenting folk music recorded and filmed on location in the coastal and surrounding communities of Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar and India, the film includes some rare performances, caught on tape for the first time.

8220;Laya8217;s essence is artistic purity and simplicity, from a non-judgmental point of view. The production creates a composition that mixes and enhances the original recordings, and embarks on a one-of-its-kind journey across borders, while preserving the music of the people,8221; adds Mazumdar.

The documentary has been directed by Harold Monfils, a Dutch national based in Malaysia, with sound design by Yotam Agam, who8217;s Israeli but settled in India and cinematography by Cheong Yuk Hoy Malaysian and Agung Dewantoro Indonesian. Timur Angin, also Indonesian has done the still photography for Laya, with some evocative images of the interplay of tragedy and hope among survivors.

So, how difficult was the process of shooting the documentary, given the adverse conditions on location? 8220;It was indeed a very difficult process vis-agrave;-vis the scale of the shooting. The film crew visited remote areas and worked tirelessly. But everywhere they went, people just pulled out all stops and welcomed them with generosity and warmth, which was something incredible. It8217;s amazing how the human spirit bounces back after enduring so much tribulations,8221; enthuses Mazumdar.

8220;We focused on two main areas 8211; recording on location and post-production and didn8217;t compromise on both the aspects. When we began the project in 2004, there weren8217;t many high-end equipments available and so, recording was at times, an uphill task,8221; says Yotam Agam. 8220;However, we8217;ve stayed as true as possible to the organic sound. This project was a dream come true for me,8221; he adds.

The Laya Project has been awarded at film festivals across the world. It received the Founder8217;s Choice Award for Best Documentary at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival held at Los Angeles in March 2007 and bagged the Best Film Award at the Byron Bay Film Festival held at Byron Bay in Australia.

8220;It has also been screened at the Message to Man International Film Festival, St Petersburg, Russia,Tel Aviv Film Festival, Israel and Music Doc Festival in Sweden,8221; informs Mazumdar.

Some albums produced by the Laya Project
India Tapatham
Sri Lanka 8212; A New Day
Thailand Water Side Tales
Myanmar Glorious Sun Remix