The film Luingamla asked a question that remains pertinent in a conflict-affected and patriarchal society: what happens when a woman is pushed to her limits?

Ukhrul, August 9 | EKHON: Nearly four decades after the death of Luingamla Muinao in Ngainga village, Ukhrul district, her story is coming to the screen in Luingamla, a film that seeks to preserve the memory of a young woman whose resistance in the face of violence has endured in Tangkhul memory.

Produced by Meiphung Production, the film is scheduled for release on August 14, coinciding with Naga Independence Day. Co-directed by Seema K. Awungshi and Sopkai Zimik, written by Makanmi Ramror and played by Ilishan Jajo, the film revisits the events of January 24, 1986, when 17-year-old Luingamla was allegedly sexually assaulted by army personnel and subsequently shot dead.

The incident took place in the backdrop of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA) and became one of the painful episodes remembered in the Tangkhul community. Its aftermath also contributed to a broader mobilisation of Tangkhul women against alleged atrocities by armed personnel and is associated with the emergence of the Tangkhul Shanao Long, or Tangkhul Women’s League.

But Luingamla is not intended as a retelling of that wider political history.

When EKHON caught up with Seema Awungshi, she said the film is, above all, the story of a young girl who fought to preserve her dignity under unimaginable circumstances.

“There are many issues surrounding the incident, as well as the court cases and aftermath that followed. Until today, she has yet to receive justice,” Awungshi said.

But rather than focusing on the legal and political dimensions of the case, the film centres on Luingamla herself, her courage, resistance and humanity.

“It is simply the story of a young girl, a biographical account of someone who fought with all her strength against an oppressor who was physically bigger, stronger, athletic and trained in combat. Yet none of that deterred her from resisting,” she said.

That resistance is at the heart of the film.

Luingamla is remembered by those who knew her as a cheerful young girl who loved weaving and was known for her light-hearted nature. By bringing those details to the screen, the filmmakers hope to move beyond the historical incident and restore the person behind the name.

The film is also intended to carry that memory to a generation that did not witness the events of 1986.

“The older generation knows Luingamla’s story well, but we also want the younger generation to know about this young girl who fought hard to preserve her dignity and the sacrifice she made,” Awungshi said.

The film draws on accounts from Luingamla’s family, neighbours and witnesses. Her younger sister, Tharawon, who was 12 at the time, is among those whose recollections helped inform the production.

For the filmmakers, the project is both a cinematic retelling and an act of documentation, a way of preserving a story that might otherwise fade with time. Its relevance, Awungshi believes, extends beyond the events of 1986.

The film asked a question that remains pertinent in a conflict-affected and patriarchal society: what happens when a woman is pushed to her limits?

“We cannot underestimate the power of a woman. When a woman is cornered, she can summon immense strength, and Luingamla did exactly that,” Awungshi said.

She sees a connection between Luingamla’s resistance and the role women continue to play during periods of conflict. Women may often be perceived as physically weaker, she said, yet they repeatedly find themselves protecting families, communities and land.

Awungshi points to women taking centre stage in maintaining raikan, community defence, during the region’s ongoing violence, often standing at the frontline without conventional weapons and relying instead on their presence and charmei, or torches.

“For me, Luingamla’s story has a strong resonance with the role of women in our society today,” she said.

The connection, she added, lies in women’s capacity to endure, protect and resist.

“It demonstrates the strength and power women bring to their families and communities, whether it is holding families together, standing up during conflict or empowering society. This is where Luingamla’s story becomes relevant.”

Turning an incident from nearly 40 years ago into a film presented another challenge: recreating a village and way of life that have largely disappeared. The production team sought to remain faithful to the accounts of family members and witnesses while reconstructing the social and visual world of the 1980s.

“We cannot approach it like an ordinary fictional story,” Awungshi said. “We had to imagine the circumstances of that time while ensuring that audiences would experience the story as authentically as possible.”

That required careful attention to costumes, houses, village life and other details of the period.

Ngainga, however, has changed considerably since 1986, making it difficult to recreate the original setting. The crew therefore searched for locations that could evoke the village of that period. Most of the filming took place in Hoomi Vokngayar, with additional sequences shot in Tashar and Hunphun.

Limited infrastructure and resources added to the difficulties. The filmmakers also had to balance historical accuracy with cinematic requirements.

While some scenes and elements were introduced to shape the narrative, the central incident remained grounded in accounts from Luingamla’s family, neighbours and witnesses.

Among the most difficult sequences to film was Luingamla’s struggle. Awungshi said the intensity of the scene affected the entire crew, particularly as young actor Ilishan Jajo embodied the character.

“We were all deeply moved. We had goosebumps and even forgot to say ‘cut’ because of the intensity of the scene and the actor’s ability to embody the character so convincingly,” she said.

According to the accounts on which the film is based, Luingamla resisted with all her strength before she was killed the following day.

If Luingamla were alive today, she would be 57. Nearly 40 years after her death, her name continues to evoke questions of justice, memory, conflict and the role of women in times of violence.

Yet Luingamla does not attempt to answer all of them. Nor does it delve deeply into the subsequent history of the Tangkhul Shanao Long. Instead, it returns to the beginning, to a young girl, her ordinary life and the extraordinary circumstances in which she was forced to fight for herself.

For Awungshi, that is where the film’s enduring message lies.

It is a story about dignity under extreme circumstances, but also about memory: who is remembered, how their stories are told and what younger generations inherit from those who came before them.

For Meiphung Production, bringing Luingamla to the screen is therefore more than an exercise in revisiting history. It is an attempt to ensure that the girl behind the historical account is not forgotten.

Luingamla is scheduled for release on August 14 at 6 pm at the Town Hall, Ukhrul Headquarter.