Two documentaries from Arunachal to be screened at MIFF-2022

Two documentary films from Arunachal Pradesh, which focus on the lives and traditions of the Galos and the Kaasik sub-tribe of the Noctes, will be screened at the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF)-2022, which is organised by the Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. The film festival runs from May 29 to June 4 in Mumbai.

The seven-day festival, organised by the Films Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, was inaugurated by Union Minister Piyush Goyal.

MIFF 2022 is being held in a hybrid mode to encourage more people to attend, and everyone who registers will be able to watch the films online for free.

The documentary on the Kaasik sub-tribe is titled 'The Songs We Sing' and 'The Drums We Beat'.

The MIFF's 17th edition features 13 films from the Northeast that represent the people and traditions of these states. The package contains ten documentaries and three short stories.

The documentary film from Assam explores the fascinating lives of Assamese Sikhs, revealing how the state's Sikh population has blended into larger Assamese socio-cultural-literary circles by embracing Assamese as their own language rather than Punjabi.

Another documentary, Forging Future, is set in a village of blacksmiths in rural Assam and illustrates the village's generational change.

One of the two Manipur documentaries covers the origins of the state's film over the past 50 years. The other, 'Manipur Mindscapes' is an attempt to grab the Manipuri people's strength.

The lone film from Meghalaya, 'Because We Did Not Choose' is a thorough chronicle of indigenous labourers from the Northeast's participation in World War 1.

The film, which has been shot over four years in Shillong, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai, and Europe, focuses attention on the unrecognized and neglected role of indigenous workers in the war.

The state of Mizoram is being represented by two films. While The Uncertain Years reveals the inside account of people's lives during the Covid-19 pandemic and how society, medical volunteers, and ordinary people dealt with it.

The film from Nagaland is based on the life of the Longfuru community, which carries many stories of migration and continues to seek the spirit of the forest and ancestral wisdom to sustain their self-sufficient lifestyle and worldviews.

The documentary from Sikkim, 'The Endless Note' is performed on the state's folk instruments. The three Assamese short stories have intriguing material as well. The first, Sanctuary, is about the contrast between a dramatist's and a militant leader's thought processes, while the second, 'Naoka' is about the illusion created by Franz Kafka's, Beethoven's, and Salvador Dali's inventions.

Another Assamese short film, 'A Little Sunshine' is about an elderly couple and their sick dog.

The documentary 'Meiram' and 'The Fireline' directed by James Khangenbam and shot in Manipur, is the opening film in the documentary category.

The film is part of MIFF-2022's 'National Prism' package, which delicately touches on the encompassing colours of wildness and biodiversity.