New Delhi: Acclaimed Manipuri filmmaker Meena Longjam’s film ‘Andro Dreams’ will be screened as the opening film in the non-feature film section at the annual 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2023, to be held in Goa from November 20 to November 28, 2023. It is the third Manipuri non-feature film to achieve the honour of opening the Indian Panorama section. The first film was Aribam Syam’s ‘Yelhou Jagoi’ (1995), followed by Bobo Khuraijam’s ‘Ima Sabitri’ (2016), after a gap of 21 years. Apart from it, Waribam Dorendro Singh’s documentary ‘Last Meeting’ has also been selected in the non-feature film section of the same festival.
Exhilarated by recent critical acclaims that Manipuri filmmakers have received in international and national film festivals, Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) Secretary, Sunzu Bachaspatimayum predicts an exciting time for Manipuri Cinema as it is revving on to greater heights after celebrating its golden jubilee (1972-2022), the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR), Manipur said in a press release.
Some outstanding Manipuri films that have shone in the international and national film festival circuits in recent times are Romi Meitei’s fiction feature ‘Eikhoigi Yum,’ Haobam Paban Kumar’s fiction narrative ‘Nine Hills One Valley’ and ‘Joseph ki Macha,’ Khwairakpam Bishwamitra’s short fiction film ‘Eewai,’ debutante Bijou Thangjam’s short film ‘Lembi Leima,’ Borun Thokchom’s documentary on ace female boxer Laishram Sarita ‘I Rise’ and Saikhom Ratan’s biographical documentary on bomb blast maimed fine artist, Kh. Mikel’s ‘Beyond Blast,’ the release said.
Romi Meitei, who recently received the National Award for his film ‘Eikhoigi Yum’ from the President of India in New Delhi, credited MSFDS for inspiring local filmmakers to shape the next phase of the state’s cinematic journey.
Romi, who has toured the globe and won multiple accolades in Malaysia, the United States, Russia besides others, said, “The series of film events like festivals, master classes, labs and workshops organised by the MSFDS has transformed Manipur into a hub of filmmaking and allowed introspection on the body of works of Manipuri cinema since 1972 and provoked a new path by exposure to the trend in world cinema.”
Romi thanked the MSFDS for the inspiration it has provided him with the year-long events it has organised to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of Manipuri Cinema. In fact, ‘Eikhoigi Yum,’ which bagged the best feature film award at the Manipur State Film Award in 2022, had the privilege of opening one of the highlights of the celebration, the first ‘Eikhoigi Imphal International Film Festival’ (EIIFF), the release added.
Incidentally, Meena Longjam’s ‘Andro Dreams,’ a documentary on the exploits of an all-women football club was incubated, developed and awarded developmental fund at MSFDS’ Imphal documentor, a five-day documentary project development lab, jointly realised with support from Documentary Resource Initiative (DRI), Kolkata and Television Cine Foundation Manipur. Longjam thanked the MSFDS for continuously empowering local filmmakers, especially documentary makers, by organising project development and incubation labs like the Imphal documentor, editing Labs and cinematography labs, the DIPR release said.
Towards production of good cinema in the fiction category, MSFDS is also conducting a screenwriting lab with local screenplay writers. Out of 15 projects that applied for the lab, five projects were selected for incubation and mentoring. The projects include stories of conflict, gender issues, corruption and blind superstition. The lab is expected to conclude by February 2024 with participating screenwriters pitching their projects to local producers and commissioning producers following the international trend of fiction film financing, the release said.
Another milestone of Manipuri Cinema is the official selection of Aribam Syam Sharma’s masterpiece fiction feature film, ‘Ishanou’ in the Cannes Classic category at the 76th Festival De Cannes, 2023. The 1990 feature film which centred on the Maibi cult of Manipur was previously an official selection in the Uncertain Regard category of the same festival in 1991, it added.
The Cannes Classic selection was realised after the 90-minute feature was restored by MSFDS in association with Film Heritage Foundation, Mumbai at the laboratory of L’Immagine Ritrovata (Italy) and Prasad Corporation Private Limited, India.
While congratulating Meena Longjam and Waribam Dorendro Singh on their films’ selection in the Indian Panorama, MSFDS Secretary Sunzu said, “Their achievement is just the beginning of a string of success for Manipuri Cinema in the days to come. MSFDS is producing a documentary on the birth of Manipuri Cinema centred on the first film director of Manipur, Sapam Nodiya Chand. The film which is currently on the floor is directed by national film award winner and executive board member of MSFDS, Oken Amakcham.”
The release further said that Indian Panorama, a flagship component of the IFFI, announces the selection of 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films that will be showcased at the 54th IFFI. The selection of the Indian Panorama is made by eminent personalities from the world of cinema and from across India, comprising a total of 12 jury members for feature films and six jury members for non-feature films led by the respective Chairpersons. Exercising their individual expertise, the eminent jury panels contribute evenly to the consensus that leads to the selection of Indian Panorama films of respective categories.
The aim of the Indian Panorama, organised by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B), Government of India, is to select the feature and non-feature films of cinematic, thematic and aesthetic excellence in accordance with the conditions and procedures in the said regulations of Indian Panorama, the release added.