30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

Italian premiere

Isolated in a remote Himalayan valley in northern India, for thousands of years the village of Malana has developed a model for life in harmony with Nature and observed a set of administrative guidelines by means of a primitive form of popular democracy. Malana is also one of the major producers of cannabis plants, and in this region one of the most prized qualities of hashish is refined. Within this reality, the village is undergoing an upheaval: the ancient model of civilization is polluted by modern democracy and the production of cannabis is questioned by moral principles and problems of public order. This ample narration brings to light traditions, life, customs, contradictions and hopes from a remote corner of the world where the ancient Himalayan dialect Kanashi, recently declared in danger of disappearing by UNESCO, is still spoken. The result of the admixture of Sanskrit with some Tibetan dialects, Kanashi has been passed down only orally for many generations.