Imphal, January 28 2010: Manipuris settled in Canada saluting Manipuri films' domination in the recently announced 56th National Film Awards 2008 and forthcoming 11th Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) expressed their desire to host a Manipuri film festival in their adopted country in the current year.

Best film critic award winner, R K Bidur informed this in a felicitation function of the National Film Award winners organised by Cine Artistes and Technicians Association Manipur at Manipur Press Club on Thursday.

"Hamom Pramod, Secretary of the Canada Manipuri Association personally telephone me to convey this information that they want to host the festival either at Montreal or Toronto within this year", noted critic Bidur said.

"I think we should organise it".

Sharing a similar sentiment, prominent film maker Aribam Syam Sharma said, we should let them watch award winning Manipuri films apart from other global audience so that everyone could understand our problems.

Syam Sharma, winner of numerous, national and international awards, lauded the young film makers for creating history in Manipuri cinema by winning the coveted Swarna Kamal for the first time in 56th National Film Award, said, "it gives me an immense pleasure as it ignites a new (film) movement in our land".

Six International award winning documentary film 'AFSPA 1958' was adjudged the best non-feature film while another film 'Shingnaba'(Challenge) won best adventure/sport film.

Manipur's renown film critic RK Bidur bagged the best Critic Award while a young mass communication teacher in Manipur University Elangbam Natasha won best narration award in another Manipuri film 'Sanakeithel'(Royal Market).

Besides 10 Manipuri films will also be screened in 5 categories during the 8-day MIFF 2010 begining February 3 next.

The films are Kh Bishwamitra's 'The Boiling Blood', Bobby Wahengbam's 'Roshni', Chaoba Thiyam's 'Eye of an I'', Suvas E's The Sun is still not setting', Bhumenjoy Konsam's animation film 'Tiger head', Oken Amakcham's 'Ratan Thiyan-the man of theatre', Ronel Haobam's 'My story-you and me', H Paban Kumar's 'Mr India', A Priyobrata's film 'Pung, Rhythm of paradise', Romi Meitei's film 'Cease baby's whimpering cry'. 'AFSPA 1958' is directed by Haobam Paban Kumar and produced jointly by Bachaspatimayum Sunzu and Paban Kumar.

'AFSPA 1958' stands for the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958, and the film documents the excesses of the security forces under the act, as well as the protests and agitations by people of the region against 'AFSPA 1958'. Though Central government is buying time to recognize the people's movement against the Act, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting's Directorate of Film festivals recognized the film's message, deciding to give an award for it's 'courageous depiction of the non-violent resistance of the people of Manipur to protest against a legislation, which undermines the values of self respect and the fundamentals of democracy'.

Interestingly the film is likely to be screened before an audience including President Pratibha Devi Singh Patil prior to the award distribution ceremony in mid-March this year.

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