Home » Celebrating 50 years of Manipuri cinema: An insult or humiliation to Manipuri Film Makers

Celebrating 50 years of Manipuri cinema: An insult or humiliation to Manipuri Film Makers

by Rinku Khumukcham
0 comment 2 minutes read

It is indeed a great moment for filmmakers and actors as well as all supporting film crew of the state, as the Manipur Film Development society is celebrating the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Manipuri cinema. But all doesn’t seem like going well as there is confusion about the significance of celebrating such a grand event.
To the words of many film activists and promoters from the state, the way the 50 years of Manipuri cinema turns out as a great insult to all film communities. In such an event internationally renowned filmmakers like Aribam Shyam Sharma or Haobam Paban Kumar or any film personalities have no place on the dais in the grand opening function of 50 Years celebration of Manipuri Cinema to be held tomorrow. Instead, a woman filmmaker Manju Borah from Assam is seen in the invitation card to share the dais with the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister of Manipur.
Unlike the 25 years celebration of Manipuri cinema held in 1997 which was a state-level function, this time the celebration zeroed in at the level of Manipur State Film Development Society. The organising committee is headed by a mere bureaucrat, Commissioner(Art & Culture), and the Secretary MSFDS as convenor. Members of the organising committee were also selected pick and choose method keeping aside those actively involved in Manipuri cinema.
Reports poured in the press that a governing council member of the MSFDS who is an eminent filmmaker has boycotted the event on the high-handed attitude of the convenor. A Swarna Kamal awardee film critic has also boycotted the event. Aribam Shyam Sharma who has accepted to read a paper on the Seminar on the Journey of Manipuri cinema to be held on date 10 has turned down this morning.
There is no transparency in organising the great event.
Earlier in a press release issued by Secretary MSFDS, it was stated that Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting Prakash Javadekar had agreed to inaugurate the event and the proposal Rs 5.42 crores for a year-long celebration was agreed to sanction when Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh met the Union Minister in New Delhi.
Many intellectuals and eminent film personalities are expected to be absent in the inaugural function which will cause embarrassment to the state dignitaries on the dais.
Interestingly, Manipur Chief Minister is the chairman of MSFDS. It has been observed that erstwhile, Manipur Film Development Council and Manipur Film Development Corporation Ltd were defunct and closed due to the Government’s political appointment of the Secretary or the Managing Director who had no administrative knowledge.

You may also like

Leave a Comment

ABOUT US

Imphal Times is a daily English newspaper published in Imphal and is registered with Registrar of the Newspapers for India with Regd. No MANENG/2013/51092

FOLLOW US ON IG

©2023 – All Right Reserved. Designed and Hosted by eManipur!

Adblock Detected

Please support us by disabling your AdBlocker extension from your browsers for our website.