International filmmakers will watch and give their feedback on Shape of Momo, the debut feature film of Sikkim filmmaker Tribeny Rai, which has been selected by the National Film Development Corporation of India (NDFC) for its prestigious "lab".

The NDFC has selected “six exceptional fiction films” for a Work-In-Progress Lab, an event at the Film Bazaar 2024 in Goa from November 20 to 28 on the sidelines of the International Film Festival of India.

The Work-in-Progress Lab gives selected filmmakers a chance to screen the rough cut of their film before an eminent panel of international advisers, including festival directors, film critics, producers and editors.

The advisers will provide valuable feedback on the rough cut with the aim of helping the filmmaker achieve an accomplished final cut of the film.

Apart from Tribeny’s Nepali language film Shape of Momo, the other five films selected are Shakteedhar Bir’s Gaangshalik (Bengali), Mohan Kumar Valasala’s Yerra Mandaram (Telugu), Ridham Janve’s Kaatti Ri Raatti (Gaddi and Nepali), Siddharth Badi’s Umal (Marathi), and Vivek Kumar's The Good The Bad The Hungry (Hindi).

Tribeny, 33, an alumna of St Joseph’s College (North Point), Darjeeling, and the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Calcutta, has already made some short films and documentaries.

“However, this is my first full feature film,” said Tribeny.

In 2019, Tribeny was also selected to attend a talent camp at the Fajr International Film Festival in Tehran, Iran.

“During the master class in Iran, I had pitched a part of this film’s idea,” said Tribeny.

The Sikkim girl started shooting for this film in January this year. She initially plans to pitch the films in various film festivals before releasing "most probably in 2025".

Shape of Momo is produced under Tribeny’s production house Dalley Khorsani Productions. "I am hopeful that the audience will enjoy the movie,” said Tribeny.

In the past, Tribeny’s short film, Memory of a Heart, won the Best Short Film at the Northeast Film Festival and the Audience Choice Award at The Women’s Voices Now Film Festival in California.

Recently, Tribeny also represented India at the 2024 Busan International Film Festival held in South Korea last month.

Apart from making films, Tribeny works with Doordarshan Gangtok and Delhi and also holds sessions at Sikkim University.