Guirim filmmaker Tanisha Pawar’s Konkani documentary Hovyo: Echoes of the Past has earned its first major international selection at the Almamoura Festival in Abu Dhabi, taking a story rooted in Goa’s cultural heritage and Konkani traditions to an international audience.

The Almamoura Festival will be held from October 12 to 16, 2026, at Yas Creative Hub in Abu Dhabi. The international festival celebrates cinema, creativity and storytelling, bringing together filmmakers, artists and audiences from around the world while showcasing diverse voices and works across genres and formats.

Shot and presented in the Konkani language, Hovyo: Echoes of the Past explores Hovyo, a traditional Goan folk-singing tradition, tracing its cultural roots, significance and evolution while examining its place in contemporary Goa. The documentary brings together the perspectives of scholars, cultural practitioners, educators and folk artists to document a tradition deeply connected to Goa’s cultural memory and oral heritage.

The documentary features insights from Dr Pandurang Phaldesai, Milind Mate, Vaishnavi Pritesh Raikar, Silvester Vaz, Dakshita Salgaonkar, Kranti Chari, Sushmita Gawas and Nayana Priolkar, among others.

The film was produced as Pawar’s final-year project at St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa, where she pursued Mass Communication and Journalism. Pawar served as the writer, researcher and director, while also contributing to the editing and cinematography.

Vaibhavi Joshi served as the voice-over artist and assisted throughout the production. Loukik Avasare and Manoj Rathod handled videography and editing, while Vibha Betkar and Pawar worked on the translation. The project was produced with production guidance from Nitin Volvoikar.

Pawar said she had always hoped to take the story of Hovyo beyond Goa and introduce its cultural significance to a wider audience.

“While making Hovyo, I hoped that the story and cultural significance of this tradition would travel beyond Goa. Seeing the documentary reach an international platform feels like a dream come true,” Pawar said.

“I feel extremely happy and grateful. *Hovyo* is very close to me because it is a documentary rooted in Goa’s cultural identity. Knowing that it is now reaching audiences beyond India makes the journey even more meaningful. I hope it encourages more people to learn about, appreciate and preserve our traditional art forms,” she added.

The international selection marks a significant milestone for Hovyo: Echoes of the Past, giving a Konkani-language documentary from Goa an opportunity to connect with audiences beyond India. For Pawar and the creative team, the selection also represents a wider effort to document and preserve Goa’s traditional art forms through contemporary filmmaking.

The achievement is also a proud moment for Guirim and the Saligao constituency, with a young filmmaker from the region taking a distinctly Goan and Konkani story to an international festival platform. Through Hovyo, Pawar brings Goa’s folk traditions, cultural memory and Konkani identity into a wider cinematic conversation, highlighting the importance of preserving the state’s living heritage while giving it new visibility through film.