Manipur filmmaker Sunzu Bachaspatimayum to head North East Film Initiatives at Hyderabad short film festival

Renowned Manipuri filmmaker Sunzu Bachaspatimayum has been invited to join as the Director of Film Initiatives, North East Region for the upcoming and first-ever North East Pavilion at the Hyderabad International Short Film Festival (HISFF).

HISFF, an initiative of the Dadasaheb Phalke School of Film Studies in collaboration with the Government of Telangana, will host its inaugural North East Pavilion from December 19 to 21 in Hyderabad. The segment will showcase a curated selection of short films from across the eight Northeastern states, offering a national platform to regional stories, voices, and cinematic talent that deserve greater recognition.

A trailblazer in Manipuri documentary filmmaking, Sunzu Bachaspatimayum is celebrated for amplifying the distinct socio-political and cultural narratives of Manipur through his lens. His debut documentary, “Rude Awakening” (1996), on Manipur’s ethnic unrest of the mid-1990s, was the state’s first real issue-based documentary and was screened at the 4th Bombay International Film Festival for Documentary, Shorts and Animation.

Recognising his growing influence, Sunzu was selected in 2010 for the prestigious International Visitors Leadership Program on documentary filmmaking in the United States, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

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Over a prolific career spanning 27 years, he has earned several national honours — including a Swarna Kamal as producer for AFSPA 1958 (2008) and two Rajat Kamals for Shingnaba (2008) and Heart to Heart (2010). His other acclaimed works include My Pony & Me (2015), Siroy – The Flower on the Lofty Height (2011), Mangphadraba Loktak Pat (2008), Karigi? Why? (2007), and Sangai – The Dancing Deer (2005).

Currently, he is filming a documentary on Manipur’s vanishing polo culture and producing another on S.N. Chand, regarded as the father of Manipuri cinema.

Sunzu also serves as Secretary of the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), the state’s premier institution for the preservation and promotion of Manipuri cinema. Under the MSFDS banner, he founded and directs the Eikhoigi Imphal International Film Festival (EIIFF), which has grown into one of India’s most respected regional film festivals.

His new role at HISFF is seen as a significant step toward strengthening the representation of Manipur and the Northeast’s vibrant cinematic voices on the national stage.