Shenpenn Khymsar From Darjeeling Wins Big in USA
Shenpenn Khymsar from Darjeeling, wins Best Soundtrack at the Julian Dubuque International Film Festival for his feature film Four Rivers Six Ranges (4R6R). After a global premiere in Rotterdam, the film is set to screen across the US, Canada, Europe, and India, with a Himalayan vampire film already in the works.
Well, butter my crumpet and call me cultured! The misty hills of Darjeeling have brewed more than just a cracking cuppa lately. Tibetan-born filmmaker Shenpenn Khymsar, who hails from the charming tea town of Darjeeling, has orchestrated quite the symphony of success on the international stage. His feature film “Four Rivers Six Ranges” — known to the cool kids as 4R6R — has just bagged the award for “Best Soundtrack in a Feature Film” at the Julian Dubuque International Film Festival in Iowa, USA. And frankly, that’s no small potatoes.
Hot on the heels of a rather smashing World Premiere at the International Film Festival of Rotterdam in the Netherlands (because, why not start with the Dutch?), 4R6R has now gone on to charm the Americans — not with apple pie, mind you, but with what’s being called an utterly soul-stirring musical score. And who’s behind the music, you ask? Why, none other than the multi-hyphenate marvel himself: Shenpenn Khymsar — writer, producer, composer, director… and possibly the bloke who made the tea on set as well.
Upon receiving the award, Shenpenn offered a statement with the sort of poetic depth that makes the rest of us feel like we’ve been scribbling on the back of napkins:
“This award for the best music is for the trauma of Broken Wings.”
Cryptic? Yes. Moving? Absolutely. Shenpenn seems to be channelling the sorrows of entire generations through his strings and soundscapes. One can’t help but imagine the hills of Darjeeling sighing with pride — or maybe that’s just the monsoon rolling in.
And there’s more good news for cinephiles across the globe! 4R6R is all set to take its musical magic on a world tour. It’s hitting major cities across the US and Canada this May, popping over to Europe in June for a bit of continental flair, and finally returning to the motherland — that’s India — for a grand screening run in July and August. Expect whistles, weeping, and possibly a few standing ovations.
But wait — Shenpenn isn’t putting his feet up and taking a nap just yet. No, siree! Word on the cobbled Darjeeling street is that he and his core creative team are already knee-deep in pre-production for their next cinematic adventure — and it’s not your average mountain melodrama. It’s going to be the first Himalayan vampire film ever made. Yes, you read that correctly. Vampires. In the Himalayas. Probably brooding at 14,000 feet with fabulous cheekbones and an existential crisis.
So, here’s to Shenpenn Khymsar — who proves that you can take the lad out of Darjeeling, but you can’t take Darjeeling out of the lad. With music that haunts, films that stir, and plans to unleash bloodsuckers at altitude, he’s clearly got more strings to his bow than a Victorian fiddle player on a sugar rush.
Keep your eyes peeled and your garlic handy — the hills are alive, and they’re humming Shenpenn’s tunes.
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