Paban Kumar's Nine Hills One Valley bags second spot in Top-10
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 27 2022: Haobam Paban Kumar's second feature- Nine Hills One Valley (2020) which evokes the futility and barbarism of ethnic conflict through the journey of a Tangkhul man travelling to Imphal City scored the second highest mark voted by the members of the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) of India Chapter.

In a press release issued by the FIPRESCI-India today, the federation of the India Chapter declares the feature film Barah by Barah, Hindi 2021, 118 m directed by Gaurav Madan as the Winner of the FIPRESCI-India Grand Prix- 2021 .

Members of FIPRESCI-India have voted Barah by Barah as the Best Indian Feature Film of 2021 out of the TOP- 10 films of 2021 voted by them in preferential order.

They are 01.Barah by Barah (Hindi) by Gaurav Madan, 02.Nine Hills One Valley (Manipuri/Tangkhul) by Haobam Paban Kumar, 03.The Road to Kuthriyar (Tamil-English) by Bharat R Mirle, 04.Semkhor (Dimasa) by Aimee Baruah, 05.The Great Indian Kitchen (Malayalam) by Jeo Baby, 06.Joyful Mystery (Malayalam) by Don Palathara, 07 Manikbabur Megh (Bengali) by Abhinandan Benerjee, 08.Godavari (Marathi) by Nikhil Mahajan, 09.Pedro (Kannada) by Natesh Hegde and 10.Nayattu (Malayalam) by Martin Prakkat.

Sharing the joy when the Nine Hills One Valley stood second among the TOP-10 films of 2021, Meghachandra Kongbam who is a member of International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)- India and the president of Film Society of Manipur said that it was a proud moment for Manipuri Cinema and congratulated the film maker Haobam Paban Kumar and his team.

As a responsible filmmaker of the society, Paban Kumar created the film with a firm commitment to end the ethnic crisis in Manipur and to have a peaceful atmostphere for overall development of the State, he added.

Haobam Paban Kumar said, "Nine Hills One Valley is my personal journey about my intrinsic dilemma of being born in a place like Manipur, which is absorbed into the tapestry of the diversity of indigenous people.

Here, people aspire to reach out for an elusive harmony while standing up each day for their forest and land and culture.

This film was made during the distressing solitude of the Covid pandemic" .

He expressed his happiness that his film has been recognised by the learned film critics of India.

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