French award for film on ‘Kangra kuhls’

The Indira Gandhi National Centre for Arts (IGNCA) has announced that ‘Stream-Story’, a film by Amit Dutta — the noted film director of ‘Nainsukh’ of Guler fame, now residing in Kangra district, has been awarded the Mention Spéciale — Prix du Patrimoine Culturel Immatériel 2025 (Special Mention — Intangible Cultural Heritage Award 2025) at Cinéma du Réel, one of the most respected international documentary film festivals.

Sponsored by the French Ministry of Culture’s Direction, this special award honours cinematic works that preserve, celebrate and transmit the living practices and knowledge systems that form our collective intangible heritage. As defined by the 2003 UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, such practices range from oral traditions, performing arts, rituals and festive events to traditional knowledge and techniques intimately linked to nature and the universe.

Amit Dutta’s ‘Stream-Story’ — produced by the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) — delves into one such traditional practice that has long remained under explored in cinematic representation. A meditation on ‘kuhl’, the ancient water channels of Himachal Pradesh, the film captures not only the physical presence of these systems but also the cosmology, oral histories and community cooperation that animate them. In ‘Stream-Story’, water becomes not just a subject, but a mode of narration – a flowing witness to centuries of ecological knowledge and cultural continuity.

As per the IGNCA, this recognition at Cinéma du Réel is not only a significant milestone for the film but also a moment of pride for the institution, which has been at the forefront of supporting artistic, archival and research-based work in India’’s diverse cultural traditions. In the words of Achal Pandya, Head (Conservation), “The IGNCA is dedicated to preserving India’s tangible and intangible cultural heritage. A significant milestone in our endeavours is Amit Dutta’s film ‘Stream Story’ and book ‘Asal Samridhi Ke Aakhiri Stambh’, produced by the IGNCA.

In addition to the film, Amit Dutta has also authored a companion book on the same subject, also published by the IGNCA. This publication expands on the ideas explored in the film, weaving history, myth, field research and visual imagination into a singular literary work. Together, the film and book form a complementary diptych – a visual and textual ode to the living heritage of water management, oral tradition and the philosophical relationship between humans and nature.

Himachal Tribune