A scene from the documentary

Guwahati, Jan. 6: Once upon a time there was a woman called Sopfunuo in a village called Rusoma near Nagaland?s capital, Kohima. Both Sopfunuo and her daughter, the legend goes, were turned into stone while fleeing her husband?s home after a tumultuous marriage.

The courage, grit and strength associated with Naga women and typified through Sopfunuo has been made into a film by a young filmmaker as a first attempt to turn folklore into cinema.

Conceived and directed by Metevinuo Ate Sakhrie, the 112-minute docu-drama is titled Were I the Moon ? The Legend of Sopfunuo. The moon serves as a metaphorical inspiration and guide through various stages of Sopfunuo?s life told through dramatisation, images, original songs and interviews.

?The art of storytelling is still the most favourite pastime among Nagas in the interiors of the state,? said Sakhrie, an alumnus of Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Milia Islamia University, New Delhi.

?My film attempts to capture and document the rich and diverse Naga oral tradition of storytelling through this particular popular Tenyimia Naga folktale.?

Shot in the beautiful rural settings of Rusoma and Viswema villages in Nagaland, the film also explores the rich cultural heritage of the Angami community of Nagaland.

Finished recently, the director has started screening the film in the villages of Nagaland to what she described as ?wondrous applause?.

?The film premiered simultaneously at Rusoma and Viswema villages last week. I have decided to screen my film in villages, as folklore and folktales are still considered the lifeline of villagers,? said the 34-year-old filmmaker.

The film has also succeeded in garnering appreciation from several quarters.

Alhile Mero, native of Viswema and an accomplished vocalist, told The Telegraph over phone, ?I enjoyed the film greatly. It?s been amazing to see the popular folktale transformed into a movie. The director has done a brilliant job.?

An accomplished documentary director, Sakhrie?s film Binding Threads has been selected for screening at Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), 2006 slated to be held in February. Sakhrie has directed six documentary films till date and most of them have been shown at national film festivals.