Three-day NE film fest to regale city

Features, documentaries and short films from the Northeast will be showcased during a three-day festival of cinema from the region later this week in the city with a special retrospective by master Manipuri director Aribam Syam Sharma being a major highlight.

The second edition of ‘Fragrances from the North East’, organised by Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), will be held from August 21 and besides film screenings there will be cultural programmes, exhibitions of handicrafts and books from the northeast and food stalls.

The opening film of the festival is Manipuri feature Pallepfam, directed and produced by Wanglen Khundongban. The film, which is the debut work of Khundongban, will have its premiere screening. The opening ceremony will see a special performance by Sikkimese popular hard rock band Girish and The Chronicles and Tripura's Hojagiri and Manipur's Dhol-Pung Cholam dances, reports PTI.

Six of Sharma's films including two features – Ishanou and Imagi Ningthem – and four non-features – Orchids of Manipur, The Deer on The Lake, Indigenous Games of Manipur and Yelhou Jagoi – will be screened in the retrospective.

Apart from the retrospective, Ko:Yad by eminent Assamese filmmaker Manju Borah, Tribeny Rai's Sikkimese films Yathawat and Last Rites, Tripuri film Maithya by Joseph Pulinthanath and Arunachali movie Crossing Bridges by Sanga Dorjee Thongdok will also be screened.

A bouquet of shorts from Meghalaya - Karyukai and Rong Kuchak directed by Domnic Sangma and Naga documentaries The Honey Hunter And The Maker by Tiainla Jamir and Story of a House, directed by Sesino Yhoshu and Sophy Lasuh will be presented.

The festival will close on August 23 with the screening of Hindi film Aisa Yeh Jahaan, written and directed by Biswajeet Bora from Assam and produced by Maya Kholie from
Arunachal Pradesh.

"The festival will have films by both veteran and young filmmakers from the region, showcasing various aspects of the Northeast through feature films, documentaries and short films. A major highlight this year is a special retrospective by Manipuri master filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma," says Utpal Borpujari, who is working as a subject expert for the festival.