Finding community

Despite not being from the region, the directors of Nocturnes and Flickering Lights were able to faithfully document stories from the Northeast by building bridges first

“What do you call moths in your language? ‘Chungnuk?’ ‘Jugnu?’” “Like a firefly?” “No, chungnuk.” This exchange between researcher Mansi Mungee and her assistant Bicki — spanning the Bugun, Hindi, and English languages — is captured in Nocturnes, a documentary about the secret world of hawk moths set in the Eastern Himalayas. Bound as the film’s human protagonists are by the pursuit of elusive insects, it is a reminder that Mungee is visiting from a distant city, while Bicki is a Bugun local from Arunachal Pradesh.

The scene also reflects the spirit of curiosity and learning that first brought directors Anirban