The long wait for an international film festival for cine lovers of Manipur will come to an end with the launch of the first “Eikhoigi Imphal International Film Festival (EIIFF) 2022” from April 2.
EIFF 2022 will be jointly organised by Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) and the Manipur State Film and Television Institute (MSFTI), with financial aid from the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, said MSFDS in a release.
It stated that EIIFF is the highpoint of the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Manipuri Cinema, which culminates in 2022 and the festival is a realisation of a long-cherished dream for the film community and as well as the cinemagoers of the state.
The international festival will screen 11 feature films, eight non-feature films and one short film, it said adding a DFF package of films made by master filmmakers of India such as Satyajit Ray, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, G Aravindam, Girish Kasaravalli and Mrinal Sen will be a special attraction of EIIFF.
EIIFF will be a golden opportunity for filmmakers, critics and cine lovers and at the same time will provide a healthy platform for meaningful deliberations on the current artistic development in the film art, and also the nuances of the industrial demands, the release stated.
The festival envisages filling up the void of a veracious cinematic culture particularly in the state, it said adding film festivals around the world have been a harbinger of brilliant cinematic culture, besides inspiring young people who want to tell stories through films. EIIFF envisions being one such festival by including a competition section from the next edition onwards.
It mentioned that daily screenings during the five-days festival will begin at 11 in the morning and continue till 10 in the evening and in between the breaks, there will be musical performances by local artistes.
“The organisers of the EIIFF extend a warm invitation to everyone. Entry is open for all,” it added.
