Private Project

TEYYAM Of Gods, Heroes and Ancestors

Cultic and ritualistic arts have always exerted a great influence on the social life in India, especially Kerala, the home of a myriad range of performing traditions.
Prominent among these is the ritualistic art form of Teyyam.

During two months of the year, regardless of caste, social function, income, gender and age, people attend Teyyam rituals  to seek blessings, ward off evil spirits, cure disease, have a healthy child-birth, settle disputes, and gain advice and prosperity from the Gods.

Filming a Teyyam ritual is often as much a feat of endurance as it is a technical and logistical challenge.  It goes on and on…and never stops.
By following one of the principle Teyyam performers — a man named Jayanandan Peruvannan (a lower caste individual) -the film will provide an intimate look at some of these Teyyams ceremonies and the complex preparations and rituals that surround them.

THE ACTOR:
Jayanandan Peruvannan's family can claim many generations of actors.  
The weight of that responsibility is evident, as is the studied discipline and intensity in which Jayanandan assumes his role.
 We’re allowed to witness his transformation, as his persona rises from an untouchable to the status of a God.

“Be advised, this film is on fire! It will ignite your soul and re-awaken its connection to powerful and timeless energies. Thank you Mr. Morell, for fearlessly stepping into the fire and capturing these sparks of dancing light, that we too may experience with humility and awe.”

Michael Urheber, author of Bava’s Gift, Awakening to the Impossible

To note there are 2 versions of the film
1/ 55' version
2/ 2X 85 version

  • Patrick Morell
    Director
    Inuit Lands , The Melting Point. High Train to Tibet
  • Patrick Morell
    Writer
    High Train to Tibet 2014
  • Patrick Morell
    Producer
    INUIT LANDS THE MELTING POINT
  • Jayanandan Peruvannan
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    60 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    December 20, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    100,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    India
  • Shooting Format:
    HD 2K 1920 1080
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Paris

    France
    October 24, 2022
    International premiere (France)
  • NEW YORK
    United States
    December 19, 2022
    American premiere (private)
Distribution Information
  • Calabi Films / Bruno Toussaint
    Sales Agent
    Country: France
    Rights: All Rights
    Country: France
    Rights: Video on Demand, Pay Per View, Theatrical
    Country: United States
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Patrick Morell

Patrick Morell is a Cinematographer/Documentary Director/Editor with over 25 years of experience filming documentaries showcasing indigenous populations and environmental changes that we face.
Areas explored include Greenland (the Arctic), South East Asia (Tibet/ China/ India/Nepal) the Middle East, Russia/ Siberia, Europe, the Western United States and Cuba.  He is multilingual, fluent in English and French is his native language.

….

Achieving that goal is not without hardship — and danger. While filming in Kolkata, India, for example, Patrick was attacked by wild dogs and suffered serious injury. In the wilds of Nagaland, he was chased by a one-horned Rhino. But arguably the most fearsome mammals who have stalked Patrick were the Chinese soldiers in Tibet who detained Patrick on numerous occasions when he was shooting his widely celebrated documentary, “High Train to Tibet” which premiered in New York in 2014.
As an independent filmmaker, Patrick has traveled the world over. That includes Greenland (the Arctic), South East Asia (Tibet, China, India and Nepal), the Middle East, Russia and Siberia, Europe and the Western United States. His dedication to telling the whole story has demanded more than simply filming his subjects, but also living with them for weeks and sometimes for months.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Powerful documentary film-making requires seeing beyond the surface of life, and bringing to light the inner dimension of culture, mind, and spirit that compels individuals and societies to act as they do. It is that intention – the desire to bring the whole story to light, not merely its most accessible features — that compelled me to make this film.

Patrick Morell
2022