The Indian Panorama Film Festival Manipur with Retrospective of Aribam Syam Sharma being celebrated in Imphal is drawing a good number of budding filmmakers and film enthusiasts in the state. Apart from featuring some of the best films in the country, the festival also provides an opportunity to learn basic theories about essential components of film making whereby conducting master classes.
Jointly organised by the Directorate of Film Festivals, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and MSFDS, the Indian Panorama Film Festival Manipur with Retrospective of Aribam Syam Sharma is being held from December 11-15 as a second phase of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Manipur Cinema that began on April 9.
The celebration was put on halt after successfully holding it for eight days due to the worsening of the COVID-19 pandemic situation that claimed many lives, including 14 personalities from the film fraternity. The festival resumed with the easing of the pandemic at Palace Auditorium, MSFDS Complex, Imphal. The five-day-long film festival is being held from 9 am to 9.30 pm every day.
Altogether, 18 films have been screened at the festival till date. A total of 32 films are to be showcased in the five-day-long celebration. Amongst these 32 films, eight films are directed by Aribam Syam Sharma.
On the third day of the festival, a two-hour-long master class on screenplay was conducted by national film awardee C Uma Maheswara Rao. Rao, who is primarily associated with Telugu Cinema, is director, screenwriter, aesthetic and producer. The class was attended by around 60 participants.
Speaking to the Imphal Free Press, one of the participants, Sonali Ngangbam said, “It was indeed a great pleasure getting an opportunity to attend this thought provoking master class on screenplay. The class helped to gather many new ideas, clear many concepts and highlighted the importance of ‘screenplay’ in film making”.
Sonali, who is a student of Mass Communication in Manipuri University, said that not only considering it as a learning point, but getting the chance to interact with eminent film personalities of the country motivated her to participate in the class. She appealed to the people of the state to seize the advantages that include screening of some of the best films, interaction with eminent film personalities of state and master classes. “Attending the festival is a golden opportunity as some of the Manipuri films being screened were produced before I was born such as Yelhou Jagoi, Ishanou , Orchids of Manipur and Sanabi”.
C Uma Maheswara Rao told the Imphal Free Press that it is essential to have a concept of screenplay among film makers to produce good film. The organisers of the film festival are highly appreciative of the master class being held as a part of the festival, Rao said.
The duration of the class is short yet productive, the noted filmmaker said, adding that the step of screenplay can never be missed and as such it is crucial to have basic knowledge among the filmmakers.
Secretary of the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), Sanju Bachaspatimayum said, “The festival is being organised with strict guidelines and SoPs in view of the COVID pandemic. So far attendance is very impressive. The crowd would be unimaginable had there been no pandemic and the weather pleasant”.
He also said that with the objective to impart some ideas of film making as a take-away of the festival, two master classes have been planned - master class on screenplay and master class on film direction.
On the third day, eight films were screened. Amongst them, The Monpas of Arunachal Pradesh, which was cinematographed by national awardee, Irom Maipak, who succumbed to COVID-19, was showcased.
