KUSUNDA: SPEAK TO AWAKEN
Germany/Nepal/ Switzerland/Sweden/Taiwan, 2021 / 21 min / OV Nepali, Kusunda, English / Virtual Reality
Kusunda is a voice-driven virtual reality experience that explores what makes a language fall asleep and what it takes to awaken one. Kusunda shaman Lil Bahadur has forgotten his indigenous mother tongue. His granddaughter, Hima, wants to revive it. Most languages at threat belong to indigenous communities such as Kusunda in Nepal. Narrated by its co-creators—Kusunda shaman Lil Bahadur and his granddaughter Hima—Kusunda contrasts two generations set apart by their lifestyles and brought together by the struggle for their indigenous identity. Lil Bahadur, who led a traditional hunter gatherer lifestyle for 40 years, lost his mother tongue when he moved to settle in the village.
| Neimënster | OV Nepali, Kusunda, English | Public |
- Storyscapes Award, Tribeca Film Festival, 2021
- Best Documentary Experience, Raindance Immersive, 2021
- Best Heritage Experience, Crystal Owl Awards, 2021
