Shillong, Dec 17: With an aim to encourage film production and to promote the use of local language, Meghalaya government has created a corpus fund to provide financial assistance to filmmakers. In order to regulate this fund, the ‘Guidelines of Film Grant Booklet’ launched by Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Tuesday evening along with giving sanction letters of Rs 35 lakh each to three prominent filmmakers of the state – Dominic Sangma, Pradip Kurbah, and Simi Khongtiang – on a nomination basis.

The corpus fund is based on 4 categories- A, B, C and D. Under Category A, nominated filmmakers will receive up to Rs 35 lakhs to produce one feature film within a calendar year. Category B offers up to Rs 25 lakhs for feature films, while Category C provides up to Rs 20 lakhs for web series, disbursed per episode, with a minimum of 10 episodes, each 30-40 minutes long. Category D supports emerging filmmakers from Meghalaya with up to Rs 5 lakhs to create short films.

The event was part of the Hello Meghalaya Conclave. Hello Meghalaya is Meghalaya’s own indigenous OTT platform backed by the government that hosts contents by local filmmakers, artists, and content creators.

Praising Hello Meghalaya OTT platform, CM Sangma said, “We are very happy with the kind of response we’re getting. We are very happy that today we are launching the new guidelines for the film production, again, an area which I am very, very keen to promote again. There are so many programs that the state government is running today to support the youth, and we want you to take advantage of that, because we want to give you that platform. We want to give you that opportunity.”

He said that the ‘Guidelines of Film Grant Booklet’ is a testament to the commitment of the government to support filmmakers in their endeavours, providing a necessary framework for financial assistance, and ensuring that creative minds have the resources they need to bring their visions to life.

The financial assistance of Rs 35 lakh each to the three selected filmmakers and the Corpus fund will encourage the production of original content, including films, web series, and short films that promote the state’s cultural heritage, natural beauty, and local languages, he added.

The conclave featured an award ceremony honouring storytellers across categories like films, web series, and documentaries, highlighting the importance of diverse narratives. Winners in each category received a cash prize of Rs 25,000. Additionally, five beneficiaries from the state were recognized with Rs 10,000 each as a token of appreciation for their contributions to the app’s success.

Speaking about handholding the film makers, Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh said that the government looks forward to the day that they should be in a position to stand on their own and in 2025 they look forward to seeing Shillong’ State Central Library to be able to have a multiplex to screen movies.

Earlier, the conclave featured the screening of Dominic Sangma’s latest and critically acclaimed award winning ‘Rapture’ (Rimdogittanga).

The conclave also featured panel discussions; the first of which was on the theme of ‘Indigenous Story-Telling in Meghalaya’, in which panellists Dominic Sangma, Simi Khongtiang, Commander Shangpliang and Lucky D Kharsati gave their insights. The second panel discussion was on ‘The Role of Cinema in Bridging Cultural and Regional Divides’ featuring nationally renowned filmmakers Dinesh Shenoy, Kunal Sharma, Pradeep Reddy, Manish Gaekwad and Pradip Kurbah as panellists.

The conclave concluded with an interactive session between the CM and the filmmakers of the state, where they discussed the future of filmmaking in Meghalaya, shared insights on the challenges and opportunities within the industry, and explored ways to further support and promote local talent.

Since the launch of Hello Meghalaya in July 11, 2024, the app has been downloaded over 3.14 lakh times and recorded 2 lakh registrations. The top-performing content includes Ka Daw, Thong Iong Nga, Ehrang, Ka Chithi, and Papa, with Thadlaskein, Laskein, and Mawlai being among the top regions for views.

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