HunDan - An Echo of A Dirge (Burushaski - Urdu Dubbed)
Synopsis
HunDan - An Echo of a Dirge is the first Burushaski language feature film. Burushaski is an endangered and as per UNESCO one of the oldest living languages in Pakistan. HunDan is a poignant story that includes themes like conservation, climate change, cultural heritage, co-existence with nature and human resilience. HunDan literally means Wood & Stone and also refers to Nature as both are the basic units of Mother Nature. The film opens on a present-day family scene, where a mother returns home to her two arguing children and their grandfather. As the children settle in for the night, they request a story from their grandfather, a shepherd who once hunted wild animals. He begins to tell the tale of his friend, a hunter, who 35 years ago set out to hunt a Markhor (a wild animal) to feed his pregnant wife. Despite the shepherd's warnings, the hunter persisted, and his actions had devastating consequences. As he returned from the hunt, he discovered his wife and newborn child had passed away, mirroring the fate of the mother Markhor he had killed. Consumed by grief and guilt, the hunter turned to music to express his pain and make amends through a folk song, passed down through generations, warning against the hunting of wild animals. The story is a powerful allegory, using regional metaphors and symbolism to convey the importance of conservation and the interconnectedness of human and animal life.