‘Manipur Unexplored’, the state pavilion of Manipur government at the 53rd edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) is attracting hordes of filmmakers, actors, directors and producers to shoot films in the state.
Several filmmakers are visiting the Manipur pavilion for queries regarding the facilities that the picturesque state would provide to them, a release stated.
The Manipur pavilion, managed by the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) , invites budding filmmakers to explore the historical, archaeological, cultural and natural heritage of Manipur. It aims to attract filmmakers and develop the state as a film-making destination, the release added.
The pavilion showcases natural beauty of the state such as the Loktak Lake and the Keibul Lamjao National Park which is the only floating national park in the world.
The Manipur Unexplored also exhibits cultural wonders such as the Ima Market which is the only market in the world run entirely by women.
It is for the first time at IFFI that several state governments have installed their pavilion at the Film Bazaar in an effort to promote the film industry in states, the release further stated.
It stated that apart from Manipur, other states such as Bihar, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Delhi and Puducherry have installed their respective pavilion.
This year, the IFFI also celebrates the golden jubilee of Manipuri cinema. The first Manipuri feature film, Matamgi Manipur directed by Debkumar Bose was released on April 9, 1972.
The journey of five decades of Manipuri cinema has been astounding and courageous, considering the resource-crunch, absence of investment on required technology and the lack of outreach mechanism to effectively reach to the audiences, the release added.
Sunzu Bachaspatimayum, Secretary, MSFDS, highlighted that the Manipuri culture has rich tradition of story-telling. He cited the example of ‘Khongjom Parva’ which is the century old ballad singing tradition.
In 2020, the Manipur government developed the state filmmaking policy. The policy, among other things, aims to incorporate the interest of the local people and stakeholders in the filmmaking process.
