Shillong: The curtain fell on the 5-day long first Meghalaya International Film Festival on Saturday.
The film festival was organized by Meghalaya Filmmakers’ Association (MeFilma) under the aegis of founder president Commander Shangpliang and Meghalaya Tourism.
During the festival, several old classics and critically acclaimed films were screened and it was attended by film personalities from across the country.
The 5-day film bonanza, which kickstarted on March 14, showcased some of the best films during which the cine lovers thronged the venues to watch a few of the critically acclaimed classics much to their delight.
A cult film titled “Ka Synjuk Ri ki Laiphew Syiem (The Alliance of 30 Kings)”, which is incidentally the first Khasi film, was screened on the last day to make the festival more befitting.
Another critically acclaimed Vietnamese film “Kieu” was also screened much to the delight of the cine enthusiasts. Director Cao Thai Ha and the casts of “Kieu” received a warm welcome from the Meghalaya International Film Festival Organisers.
Some of the films screened during the festival were ‘Lorni’, ‘Ka Chithi’, ‘ING 156′, ’14/8’, ‘Kagaz ki Khasti’, ‘Anur’, ‘A Common Crime’, ‘Joon’ et al.
An interesting screenwriting workshop “Changing narratives with women empowerment and strong female character” was organized on the penultimate day. Film personalities and female entrepreneurs like Aruna Chakravorty, Anjali Patil and Barkha Bisht Sengupta attended the workshop that was moderated by Aditriye Dipika.
Minister of Information and Public Relations Dr. M. Ampareen Lyngdoh graced the closing ceremony of the festival as chief guest, which was held at U Soso Tham auditorium. Acclaimed Bollywood actor Sanjay Mishra graced the occasion as guest of honour.
Actor Sanjay Mishra said, “It’s a beautiful beginning with lots of opportunities. Hoping that in a span of 10 years, this would be one of the prestigious film festivals of the country.”
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While speaking on the occasion, Minister of Information and Public Relations Ampareen Lyngdoh said, “On behalf of the Govt of Meghalaya we assure you that we will provide opportunities to talented people of the State, and we will invest a sizeable amount to support the organisers for hosting festival of this nature.”
She further added, “The Meghalaya government wants to encourage and invest towards nurturing talents from this State and provide the much-need support to excel in this field.”
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