“Porunai,” a documentary produced by Hiphop Tamizha, has been selected for screening at an international film festival in Turkey! “Porunai” marks the first Tamil documentary to be screened at the Foca International Archaeology & Cultural Heritage Film Festival.
In 2019, Hiphop Tamizha’s “Tamizhanda” movement produced and released an online documentary series titled “Tamizhi.” Created after traveling approximately 20,000 kilometers and compiling a vast array of material—ranging from ancient Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions to the Edicts of Ashoka—this documentary series received an overwhelming response. Following this success, and under the initiative of Hiphop Tamizha’s “Tamizhanda” movement, the documentary “Porunai” has been produced. This documentary was created by comprehensively documenting the archaeological excavations conducted between 2020 and 2021 along the banks of the Porunai River (also known as the Thamirabarani). The documentary “Porunai” was produced by Hiphop Tamizha Entertainment. Pradeep Kumar and Ilango Sampathkumar directed this film. Saran Kumar, Balaji Baskaran, and Santhosh handled the cinematography, while Thilakesh and Bharath Balaji served as editors. Hiphop Tamizha not only produced the documentary and provided voice-over direction but also composed the musical score. Filmed over a period of approximately one year, the documentary was meticulously crafted—waiting until the scientific analysis results of the artifacts unearthed during the excavations were fully available—and stands as a fascinating production born from years of hard work and comprehensive compilation of findings. Running for a duration of approximately one and a half hours, the documentary has been awarded a “U” (Universal) certificate by the Central Board of Film Certification. Having been submitted to various international film festivals, the film has now been officially selected for screening at the Foca International Archaeology & Cultural Heritage Film Festival currently taking place in Turkey. The documentary Porunai is scheduled to be screened at the film festival taking place this coming October. It is noteworthy that Porunai is the first Tamil documentary to be screened at this film festival, which holds significant importance in fields such as archaeology and culture.
