India, Nov. 8 -- In the mist that drapes the Western Ghats, stories emerge from the trees. Set against a background score of cricket chirps and bird calls, only those who truly listen will hear them.

These are stories about gods forced to take refuge under certain trees. About the first man, emerging from a local pond. About a deity that rose from the lowest caste.

The stories seep into each other, as they are retold through sylvan monsoon days, in the short film Murmurs of the Jungle. We see some of the speakers, in fleeting glimpses; they rarely face the camera. What often takes up the screen is a deep forest, majestic and draped in mist; people just a concession it allows on its fringes.

Directed by Sohil Vaidya, the 20-minute film ...