NEW DELLHI, AUG 24, 2015: The three-day Northeast film festival entitled “Fragrances of the North-eastern films” held under the aegis of the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting concluded here in Siri Fort Auditorium Complex on Sunday evening. Hundreds of cinema lovers attended throughout the festival.
Films like The Deer on the Lake, Indigenous Games of Manipur, Yelhou Jagoi and Imagi Ningthem directed by Aribam Syam Sharma (Manipur), Story of a House directed by Sesino Yhoshu & Sophy Lasuh (Nagaland), 1987 directed by Wanphrang Diengdoh & Dondor Lyngdoh (Meghalaya), MNF: The Mizo Uprising directed by Napoleon Thanga (Mizoram), Mathia directed by Joseph Pulinthanath (Tripura), and Aisa Yeh Jahaan directed by Biswajeet Bora (Assam) were screened on Sunday (Aug 23).
Let us delves deep a little bit into the films one by one – what does it tell. The film “The Deer on the Lake” (1990, English, 25 min) directed by a noted Manipuri filmmaker Aribam Syam Sharma revolves around the lost of the ‘Sangai’, the brow-antlered deer which is only found in Manipur. This elegant deer lives in the southern corner of the Loktak Lake in the heart of the valley of Imphal, on the flat grassland of the extraordinary shifting island of Keibul Lamjao. Sangai is on the verge of extinction with only about fifty of them still alive. A national park since 1977, Keibul Lamjao is now identified as one of the Threatened Protected Areas of the World.
The film “Indigenous Games of Manipur” (1990, English, 28 min) tells the marital tradition of Manipur which led to the development of various forms of games and sports in the state. The important ones among them include Cheibi, a game of swordsmanship; Mukna, wrestling Manipuri style; Mukna – Kangjei, a combination of elements of modern hockey and Mukna; Hiyang – Tannaba, a spectacular boat race; Yubi – Lakpi, or snatching the coconut; Kang, an indoor game; and Sagol – Kangjei, an ancient community game of Manipur, the precursor of Polo.
The film “Yelhou Jaboi” (1995, Manipuri, 35 min) narrates the annual ritual festival celebrated by the people of Manipur valley. It recreates the myth of creation of the Universe such as Heaven, Earth and Life in its manifestations of flora, fauna and mankind. The film shows how the dance of the maibies (women priests) depicts the growth of a child in womb, organs developing gradually, his coming age, making of house, cultivation, fishing and others through use of 364 hand movements.
“Imagi Ningthem” (1981, Manipuri, 110 mins), a film based on the life of rural woman in Manipur, an educated working woman and a house-wife, each with a “common, similar sense of felling and understanding”, which portrays their everyday struggles.
Aribam Syam Sharma, a noted film director, actor and music director from Manipur, who came in limelight with his award winning film ‘Imagi Ningthem’ (My Son, My Precious) that received the ‘Grand Prix’ at the Festival des Trios Continents, Nantes, France in 1982. The other widely acclaimed films that attracted attention include ‘Ishanou’ (The Chosen One), the Official Selection (Un Certain Regard) for the Cannes Film Festival, 1991, and Sangai – the Dancing Deer of Manipur, declared as the ‘Outstanding Film of the Year 1989’ by the British Film Institute.
Sharma has been associated with Manipuri films from its inception; he is its first music director. He composed music for Manipuri’s first film ‘Matamgee Manipur’ (1972) and also acted in it. So far he has directed 12 feature films and 31 non-feature films. The government of India conferred him ‘Padmashri’ in 2006, awarded the ‘Dr V Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 2008 by the Films Division, Govt of India, awarded with the first ‘Manipur State Lifetime Achievement Award for Film’ in 2010, and the title ‘Jewel of Manipuri Cinema’ this year (2015).
Directed by Sisino Yhoshu and Sophy Lasuh, the ‘Story of a House’ (2011, Nagamese & English, 5 min) reveals how and why the 55 Naga residents of this house live in India during the day and sleep in Myanmar at night. Ms Sesino Yhoshu is a graduate of Mass Communication and Video Production from St Anthony’s College, Shillong and further specialized in Cinematography from the prestigious Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Yhoshu founded Take One, a production house based in Kohima, Nagaland. Sophy Lasuh completed her Masters in Film & Television from Edinburgh College of Art, UK in 2008. After working as a film editor with Edinburgh College of Art, she reunited with Indian Television by joining NDTV. She has now returned to Nagaland and co-owns Cue Hue with Sesino Yhoshu.
The film “19|87” (2011, Khasi & Hindi, 36 min) directed by Wanphrang K Diengdoh and Dondor Lyngdoh deals with an uncommon friendship that developed over a tense period of time in the history of Shillong. Shot with a guerilla camera style, with non-professional actors and real-life settings, this film revolves around a Muslim tailor bestowed with the gift of prophecy and a strayed Khasi youth. Wanphrang Diengdoh is an independent filmmaker and the founder of red dur (www.reddur.com), a production space for films, music and design. His works including 19|87, the Kali Kamai public art installation and several music videos reflect his keen interest in the politics and culture of his hometown, Shillong. An independent filmmaker Lyngdoh is an alumnus of AJK-MCRC Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.
The documentary film “MNF: The Mizo Uprising” (2014, Mizo & English, 28 min) narrates the outbreak of Mizo armed struggle for independence from 1966-1986. The Mizo Uprising was started by the Mizo National Front (MNF) founded by late Laldenga. The neglect of the then Government of Assam which led to the dreaded famine was the main reason. The period witnessed atrocities on civilians and women by the Indian army. The peace accord between GoI and MNF was signed on 30 June 1986 bringing a historic end to a 20-year struggle for independence. This film documents the event through the account of people who witnessed it. Hailing from Azawl’s Mission Veng, the film director Napoleon RZ Thanga, completed his postgraduate diploma in Television Production from University of Hyderabad in 2009.
The film “Mathia” (2005, Kokborok, 132 min) directed by Joseph Pulinthanath narrates the how an innocent woman is being branded as ‘witch’ by the village folks. Inhabitants of Hathai Para, a remote village, are unable to make up their minds about the identity of Kwchwngti, a young woman who has recently begun living at the edge of the hamlet. ‘Is she a witch as they have heard?’ The villagers would have probably tolerated her had she not tried to interfere in important matters like the proposed marriage between Kephengrai and Khumbarti. The intriguing element in all this is the occasional rendezvous that Kephengrai has with another village girl, Sampri, even as he is engaged to Khumbarti. And ‘what was it that he whispered in the ears of the village priest after bribing him with rice beer?’ The director has used cinema to highlight to the world the unique position of Tripura’s indigenous communities. His works in Kokborok include the feature films Mathia and Yarwng (2008). Mathia was the first film from Tripura to enter the Indian Panorama, and Yarwng, the first and only film from Tripura till date to win a national award.
The festival concluded with the film “Aisa Yeh Jahaan” (2015, Hindi, 120 min) directed by Biswajeet Bora tells the story of a nuclear family who moves from a small town in Assam to Mumbai for better life and opportunities. While stressing on the issue of escalating human detachment from nature, the film also touches the sensitive side of relationships which is adversely affected with the drastic change of life from a peaceful town to a metropolitan concrete city. The film also highlighted the racial discrimination faced by the people of Northeast regions.
Hailing from a small village in Assam, Biswajeet Bora, after completing his graduation, he landed in Mumbai City and started his career as a film editor. He has assisted internationally acclaimed filmmaker Jahnu Barua for seven years. Several of his films have received acclaim in national and international film festivals.
It is worth to know that the Cinema in Northeast India is exactly 80 years old this year. The first film of the region was made in 1935, that is “Joymoti”, the tale of the eponymous Ahom princess who sacrificed traditions of medieval Assam. It was made by Jyotiprasad Agarwalla, one of Assam’s biggest cultural icons who was a playwright, poet, composer, novelist and Freedom Fighter, all rolled into one.
“But despite crossing eight decades, only Assam and Manipur has a developed tradition of filmmaking of both meaningful and mainstream varieties, while in the other states, ‘filmmaking’ has been more of a recent phenomenon – the occasional efforts of earlier years have in recent years seen a spurt thanks to the advent of cheaper digital technology that has enabled making of low-budget films in various ethnic languages”, said Utpal Borpujari, Curator, North East Film Festival, 2015.
~ BRUCE K. THANGKHAL | MANIPUR CHRONICLE
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