Novel project to showcase NE culture among masses:
GUWAHATI, June 2 – The Institute of Environmental Management and Social Development (IEMSD) has undertaken an innovative project to acquaint the people of the North East with their diverse cultures.

The NGO supported by the North Eastern Council (NEC) is organising a film festival whereby it is aiming to give a platform to documentary filmmakers, particularly those who have made various kinds of non-fiction films, to showcase the rich heritage of NE and to tap its hidden treasure. It has invited producers and directors from NE who have worked in this region and have produced various films highlighting its rich heritage.

The fest will be held from June 23-28 in Shillong. The general aim of this festival will be to promote these documentary films and to give due credit to these directors and filmmakers who have been working silently, but steadfastly in the task of bringing the North East out of its isolation. Yet, is very rare that these efforts have been acknowledged or a wider platform provided to these filmmakers to display their work.

The film festival proposes to provide an opportunity for exchanging of films and ideas and it will be a vehicle for a cultural exchange even amongst the different tribes of North East. The festival will show films in diverse genres and discipline as a means to address the diversity of NE. The proposed panel of judges include – Shyam Benegal, Deepti Naval, Nandita Das, Mohan Agashe, Naseerudin Shah and Muzzafar Ali.

The judges will select one best film from each State out of which, one will be declared the overall best. Each State winner will receive a cash prize, a plaque and a citation. There will also be an overall winner at the festival. All eight films would then be taken on a road show of all State capitals, first within the region, then to other parts of India. The winning film at the festival would be screened at an appropriate international film festival through corporate sponsorship.

The festival will not only provide a platform to these film makers to show their talent but also an opportunity for exchanging ideas, experiences and thoughts with the eminent panel of judges but also to know more about each other’s rich heritage and tradition through seminars. A significant feature of the festival will be to invite students from schools and colleges so that they can be familiarised with the larger identity of the Northeast through these films.

It is also expected that though this film festival, people will get to know about this enchanted land and give a boost to regional tourism. For entry forms, interested film-makers can log on to www.iemsd.org or contact Ashish Chopra, Executive Director, IEMSD through nedff@rediffmail.com/ info@iemsd.org, stated a release.

It is worth noting that geographically and racially, the region we call North East India is situated between the two great traditions of the Indic Asia and the Mongoloid Asia. This geographical-cultural condition of ‘in-between-ness’ is an important factor for the crisis of identity. It was only during the British period that this region came to be associated with India politically.