The documentary has been directed by Harold Monfils, a Dutch national based in Malaysia, with sound design by Yotam Agam, who's Israeli but settled in India and cinematography by Cheong Yuk Hoy (Malaysian) and Agung Dewantoro (Indonesian). Timur Angin, also Indonesian has done the still photography for Laya, with some evocative images of the interplay of tragedy and hope among survivors.

So, how difficult was the process of shooting the documentary, given the adverse conditions on location? "It was indeed a very difficult process vis-à-vis the scale of the shooting. The film crew visited remote areas and worked tirelessly. But everywhere they went, people just pulled out all stops and welcomed them with generosity and warmth, which was something incredible. It's amazing how the human spirit bounces back after enduring so much tribulations," enthuses Mazumdar.

"We focused on two main areas – recording on location and post-production and didn't compromise on both the aspects. When we began the project in 2004, there weren't many high-end equipments available and so, recording was at times, an uphill task," says Yotam Agam. "However, we've stayed as true as possible to the organic sound. This project was a dream come true for me," he adds.

The Laya Project has been awarded at film festivals across the world. It received the Founder's Choice Award for Best Documentary at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival held at Los Angeles in March 2007 and bagged the Best Film Award at the Byron Bay Film Festival held at Byron Bay in Australia.

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