Imphal to host National Tribal Film Festival, Tribal Lens 2026
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 09 2026: The Department of Tribal Affairs and Hills, Manipur, through the Tribal Research Institute, will organise the National Tribal Film Festival from November 12 to 15 at the Palace Auditorium, Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), Imphal, in collaboration with MSFDS and with support from the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India.

This was announced by R Rang Peter, Director, Tribal Affairs and Hills, Manipur, at a press conference held today at the MSFDS auditorium.

The four-day national festival will showcase more than 28 feature films, documentaries and short films from Northeast India, Ladakh, Jharkhand and other tribal regions of the country.

It will provide a national platform for tribal filmmakers and storytellers to present indigenous narratives, languages, cultures and contemporary realities through cinema.

The festival will also feature filmmaker interactions, masterclasses, panel discussions, cultural performances and the Tribal Lens Photography Exhibition.

A special initiative, TFM 20 Emerging Voices, will provide a three-day prefestival filmmaking workshop from November 10 to 12 for 20 young participants from the six hill districts of Manipur, with the objective of nurturing young tribal storytellers and encouraging them to document stories from their own communities.

In addition, the festival will feature a special focus on Mizoram cinema, collaboration with Green Hub, and recognition of outstanding contributions to tribal cinema and indigenous visual storytelling.

As part of the celebrations, Tribal Lens 2026, a photography initiative and exhibition from November 12 to 18, will highlight the cultures, traditions, livelihoods, landscapes and everyday lives of tribal communities.

The initiative seeks to encourage visual documentation of tribal heritage and promote emerging tribal photographers.

R Rang Peter said the objective is not merely to organise festivals, but to create sustainable platforms for cultural preservation, youth empowerment, creative expression, economic opportunities and livelihood avenues for the tribal filmmakers' fraternity.

He said the panel discussions and interactive sessions with renowned filmmakers will provide capacity building and skill upgradation to young promising filmmakers and help take them to national and international levels.

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