The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB), Government of India is sponsoring two filmmakers from each of the Northeastern states to attend the 29th Busan International Film Festival in South Korea from October 2-11.
Representing Manipur at Busan are Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), secretary Sunzu Bachaspatimayum, a multiple national film awardee, and Rinshing Ahum Chahong, a young Tangkhul filmmaker who recently won the Best Director’s Award in the first Tangkhul Film Competition organised by the Tangkhul Naga Film Association, stated a release.
The Ministry’s initiative to nurture a vibrant film culture in the northeast region is an excellent opportunity for exposure and networking especially as MSFDS is organising the second edition of the Eikhoigi Imphal International Film Festival from 6-9 February 2025 in Manipur, it stated.
With these encouraging developments, the cinematic voices of Northeast India are poised to gain greater recognition both nationally and internationally, contributing to the country’s diverse cultural landscape, it mentioned.
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It stated that the MIB is actively promoting a vibrant film culture in Northeast India through various initiatives, resulting in the region’s increasing visibility on the global film stage.
From offering exposure to A-grade film festivals, funding film production, and organising skill development programme, filmmakers from the Northeast are beginning to reap the rewards of these targeted interventions, it mentioned.
Prominent testimonies to the success of these initiatives include Biplab Goswami’s film, ‘Lapata Ladies’, which has been selected as India’s official entry for the 2024 Oscars. A graduate of the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata, Goswami hails from Tripura. Additionally, Berlinale Talents 2019 participant Dominic Sangma’s ‘Rapture’ (Rimdogittana) is currently making waves in Europe, with its recent release in French theatres, it stated.
Another notable achievement for the region is the screening of ‘Boong’, a Manipuri feature film directed by debutant Lakshmipriya Devi, at the 49th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), it mentioned. The film had its world premiere in the prestigious Discovery section, shining a spotlight on the underrepresented cinema of Manipur, it added.
