Manipuri Cinema revving on to greater heights
Source: Chronicle News Service / DIPR
Imphal, October 24 2023:
Meena Longjam's 'Andro Dreams (Manipuri)' will be screened as the opening film in the Non-Feature Film Section of the annual 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI), 2023, to be held in Goa from November 20-28 .
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 'Andro Dreams", Waribam Dorendro Singh's documentary 'Last Meeting' has been selected in the Non-Feature Film Section of the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) .
Exhilarated by recent critical acclaims that Manipuri filmmakers have received in the international and national film festival circuits, Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) secretary, Sunzu Bachaspatimayum has predicted an exciting time for Manipuri Cinema as it is revving on to greater heights after celebrating its golden jubilee (1972-2022).Some outstanding Manipuri films that have shone at international and national film festival circuits in recent times include Romi Meitei's fiction feature 'Eikhoigi Yum'; Haobam Paban Kumar's fiction narrative 'Nine Hills One Valley' & '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, 'Beyond Blast'.
Romi Meitei, who recently received National Award for his 'Eikhoigi Yum' from the President of India in 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, US, Russia, etc., asserted that the series of film events like festivals, master classes, labs and workshops organised by MSFDS transformed Manipur into a hub of filmmaking and allowed introspection on the body of works of Manipuri Cinema since 1972 and paved a new path by providing exposure to the trend in world cinema.
He thanked MSFDS for the inspiration it has provided him with the yearlong events it 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), he said.
Incidentally, Meena Longjam's 'Andro Dreams', the documentary on the exploits of an all-women football club was incubated, developed and awarded development fund at MSFDS' 'Imphal documentor', a 5-day documentary project development lab, jointly realised with support from Documentary Resource Initiative (DRI), Kolkata and Television Cine Foundation Manipur.
Meena Longjam also thanked MSFDS for continuously empowering local filmmakers, especially documentary filmmakers by organising project development and incubation labs like 'Imphal Documentor', 'Editing Lab' and 'Cinematography Labs.' 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.
Projects include stories of conflict, gender issue, corruption and blind superstition.
The Lab is expected to conclude by February next year with participating screenwriters pitching their projects to local producers and commissioning producers following the international trend of fiction film financing.
Another milestone of Manipur Cinema is the official selection of Aribam Syam Sharma's masterpiece '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.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'lmmagine Ritrovata (Italy) and Prasad Corporation Pvt Ltd (India).
Congratulating Meena Longjam and Waribam Dorendro Singh upon their films' selection in the Indian Panorama which was announced on Monday, MSFDS secretary Sunzu Bachaspatimayum termed their achievement as just the beginning of a string of success for Manipuri Cinema in the days to come.
He added that MSFDS is producing a documentary on the birth of Manipuri Cinema centred on the first film director of Manipur, Sapam Nodiya Chand or SN Chand.
The film which is currently on the floor is directed by national film awardee and executive board member of MSFDS, Oken Amakcham.
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