Sikkim filmmaker Tribeny Rai’s debut feature ‘Shape of Momo’ set for theatrical release

“Shape of Momo”, the debut feature by Sikkim filmmaker Tribeny Rai, will release in theatres across India and Nepal on May 29 through Spirit Media, backed by actor-producer Rana Daggubati.

The film has also drawn support from Cannes-winning filmmaker Payal Kapadia and filmmakers Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, who have joined the project as executive producers ahead of its theatrical run.

Set in a Himalayan village in Sikkim, the film follows three generations of women within a family and examines themes of womanhood, emotional inheritance, silence and identity. It also explores the conflicting relationship many people share with home — as a source of comfort as well as limitation.

The cast includes late actor Bhanu Maya Rai alongside Gaumaya Gurung, Pashupati Rai, Rahul Mukhia and Shyamashree Sherpa. The film has already travelled to major international festivals, including the Busan International Film Festival and the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Rai described the release as an important moment for the team, saying the film emerged from a “personal lens” shaped by the women and experiences around her. She said independent films often struggle to secure theatrical releases, making the upcoming release “surreal but also rewarding”.

Kapadia called the film “a deeply moving coming-of-age story” and praised Rai’s “strong and uncompromising” filmmaking voice. She said the film’s festival journey had prepared it to connect with wider audiences across India.

Produced by Dalley Khorsani Production in association with Kathkala Films, the project was made with a crew led largely by women. Daggubati said the film “quietly unfolds and stays with the audience”, adding that Spirit Media was drawn to stories rooted in emotional honesty and lived experience.

Akhtar said the film offers an intimate look into the lives of Sikkimese women across generations and would introduce audiences to a region rarely represented in mainstream Indian cinema. Kagti also praised the film’s “sensitivity, warmth and emotional insight”, while pointing to the growing visibility of filmmakers from the Northeast.

She said films such as Boong, Raptures and Village Rockstars had expanded the space for independent cinema from the region, adding that “Shape of Momo” was part of that wider movement.