Shillong, Nov 10: A national seminar on Craft, Culture and Commerce of Cinema in North-East India began on Monday at the Golden Jubilee Auditorium, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong.
The inaugural session was chaired by Prof. Streamlet Dkhar. Zonal Director (North-East), Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR), N. Munish Singh was the Chief Guest, while Prof. Shaswati Goswami, Regional Director, IIMC Aizawl Campus, delivered the keynote address.
In his welcome remarks, seminar convenor Prof. (Dr) Manash Pratim Goswami noted that the event is significant as cinema in the region marks 90 years since its first known production in 1935.
Dean (In-charge), School of Economics Management and Information Sciences (SEMIS), NEHU, Prof. U.K. Dey underlined cinema’s role as an artistic tool and ability to voice contemporary social realities.
Keynote speaker Prof. Goswami argued that while North-East India has multiple cultures, ethnicities and stories to draw from, the region’s cinema continues to be dominated primarily by Assamese and Manipuri industries – largely because commercial viability remains limited.
Using examples ranging from ‘Superboys of Mailgaon’ to ‘Mary Kom’ and OTT depictions in ‘Paatal Lok’ and Family Man season 3 also shifting to the North East, she noted that while the “exotic appeal” of the region now sells, such visual fascination has overtaken storytelling depth, and this may not sustain the industry.
While she appreciated the “beautiful films” coming out from the region and lauded the efforts of young filmmakers like Reema Das, Dominic Sangma and others, she also reminded of the huge support they needed to reach where they are today. However, these films haven’t translated into box office success as they only toured film festivals and received critical appreciation, which cannot sustain the industry.
Stressing that cinema is more about storytelling than cinematography, she said, “We ourselves are exoticizing ourselves and are banking on the exotic to sell our region… We are mesmerized by our cinematography and the regions natural beauty but we are lacking in storytelling; this should not take a back seat.”
Singh, in this address, provided glimpses of challenges and issues in filmmaking in states of North East India. He noted that commerce (earning) is the main challenge for films made in the region but Assam film industry is better placed having the ability to earn in crores. He further cited the example of Khasi YouTubers, who made a film using mobile cameras and earned a lot.
Prof Dkhar highlighted that filmmakers can very well use indigenous aesthetics, diverse and rich culture of the north-east region. She also points out a pertinent problem of lack of cinema halls to screen films in the region.
After inaugural, the seminar hosted a plenary session, a panel discussion and three technical sessions. In the plenary session, Dr Arzuman Ara, EFLU, Shillong shed light on portrayal of north east women in films pointing out various examples showing them disempowered, stereotyping and typecasting those characters.
Similarly, a panel of three esteemed filmmakers Sanjib Parashar, Simi Khongtiang, Bobby Wahengbam from the region discussed trends and techniques of storytelling in North-East India.
Moreover, a total of 15 researchers from across various Indian states made presentations in three technical sessions. The first day of seminar culminated with cultural performances portraying diverse culture, traditions and folks from the region. The students also had a spectacular fashion show.
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