Shillong, Nov 14: Three films from Meghalaya were screened at Tribal-Frames Manipur 2026, a four-day National Tribal Film Festival that began on November 12 at the Manipur State Film Development Society auditorium in Imphal.
Around 28 feature, short and documentary films in Tangkhul, Mizo, Paite, Anal, Kokborok, Khasi, Nyishi, Santhali, Ladakhi, Sumi, Uipo, Tiwa, Karbi and Bodo are being screened, along with interactive sessions and panel discussions on tribal storytelling and regional cinema.
The first Meghalaya film, Last Cherry Blossom, is a 29-minute experimental fiction film directed by Ekratia Khongtiang from Jaintia Hills. Set in the Jaintia community, it follows Dio, a boy who grows up as a Khon Sang, a child born to parents of the same or closely related clan, and carries the stigma attached to it. His friendship with Iris, through a shared notebook of poems, helps him look beyond the label.
The second film, Mawbynna, is a 15-minute Khasi short fiction film directed by Kyrshanborlang Khardewsaw. It follows 17-year-old Lam and his friend Pynshngain, who discover three sacred Mawbynna monoliths in a forest. After Lam mocks and desecrates one stone, he begins having unsettling dreams and disappears. Pynshngain returns to find three stones have become four.
The third film, Ka Jingshemphang (The Knowing), is a 46-minute Khasi short fiction film directed by Tyrel Reuben Lyngdoh. Set in a remote village, it follows Baia, who is caring for her ailing husband, when a mysterious young girl arrives and awakens forgotten memories of her cultural heritage and indigenous knowledge, triggering suspicion and gossip in the village.
The festival is organised by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs, Government of India, Tribal Affairs and Hills Department, Manipur, Tribal Research Institute, Manipur, and MSFDS. It will conclude on November 15.
