North-Eastern Film Festival to start at NFAI on Jan 28

January 28, 2017

“Gandhiji did not sacrifice his life for just a few communities. He did it for all of India,” says Nguto Assumi, President, North-Eastern Community of Pune (NECOP). Making efforts to bridge cultural gaps between different regions, the National Film Archive of India (NFAI) is hosting a North-East Film Festival that will show 14 films from all the eight states that are either National Award winners or were selected in the Indian Panorama section of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI). The previous edition of this was held in Delhi in 2015. This year, the festival will bring people from the North Eastern community as well as film lovers in Pune to celebrate the region through its films. The festival will also host food and handicraft stalls that will showcase North-Eastern traditions.

“There are a range of fictional and non-fiction films that have been chosen. The documentary movement is very strong in the North East. This is a special initiative to help appreciate the unique culture,” explains Senthil Rajan, Director of Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF). The festival will open with the film Kothanodi, an Assamese film made by Bhaskar Hazarika.

Shirish Sahasrabudhe, Director of Symbiosis Ishanya Cultural and Educational Centre, expresses that there is not much cultural literacy amongst people about the North-East. “Most parts of the country know nothing about the region and its diversity. There is a big cultural gap. Our motto is to increase the North-Eastern literacy amongst people. Along with DFF and NFAI, the community based in Pune has come together to create awareness. We must continue this activity even if it is done on a small scale.”

The inauguration takes place on Saturday at NFAI and the chief guest will be Ajay Mittal, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

The festival starts on January 28 and ends on January 30.