A film from Meghalaya titled ‘Because We Did Not Choose’ will be screened at the ongoing 17th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Short Fiction, and Animation Films (MIFF-2022).
The 17th edition of MIFF-2022 began with a colourful opening ceremony at the Nehru Centre, Worli in Mumbai today.
Union Minister Piyush Goyal inaugurated the seven-day festival organised by the Films Division of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
To promote wider participation, MIFF 2022 has been organized in hybrid mode, and online viewing of films is free for all those who register.
‘Because We Did Not Choose’, the lone film from Meghalaya at MIFF 2022, is a meticulous documentation that examines the participation of indigenous labourers from the North-East in World War I.
Shot over four years in Shillong, Guwahati, Kolkata, Chennai and Europe, the film shines light on the unacknowledged and forgotten presence of indigenous labour in the war.
The 17th edition of MIFF encompasses 13 films from the North East which captures the lives and traditions of these states.
The package contains ten documentaries and three short fictions. Out of the ten documentaries, there are two from Arunachal Pradesh covering the life and traditions of two tribes-The Galos and the Kaasik subtribe of the Noctes.
The documentary film from Assam follows the interesting life of Assamese Sikhs and reveals how Sikh community in the State have stepped into the greater Assamese socio-cultural-literary circles by adopting the Assamese language as their own instead of Punjabi. ‘Forging Future’, another documentary made against the backdrop of a village of the blacksmiths in rural Assam depicts the generational change in the village.
The three short fictions from Assam also carry interesting contents. While the first one ‘Sanctuary’ deals with the difference of the thought process of a dramatist and a militant leader, the second one ‘Naoka’ is about the illusion made by the creations of Franz Kafka, Beethoven and Salvador Dali. ‘A Little Sunshine’ another short film from Assam revolves around an aged couple and their sick pet dog. Scriptwriter and journalist Chandan Sarmah curated films in this special package section.
Out of the two documentaries from Manipur, one chronicles the history of fifty years of cinema in Manipur. The other one – ‘Manipur Mindscapes’ is an attempt to encompass the resilience of the Manipuri people.
The state of Mizoram is being represented by two films. While ‘The Uncertain Years’ unfurls the inside story of the life of the people during the Covid-19 pandemic and handling of it by the society, medical volunteers and common people, ‘This is Mizoram’ is full of enchanting visuals along with articulate narration of the exotic natural beauty of Mizoram.
The film from Nagaland is based on the life of the Longfuru community people who carry many stories of migration and continue to seek the spirit of the forest and ancestral wisdom to sustain their self-sufficient lifestyle and worldviews.
The documentary from Sikkim ‘The Endless Note’ is on the folk music instruments of that state.
In commemoration of Bangladesh’s 50 years of Independence the country has been chosen as the ‘Country of Focus’ this year. A special package of 11 films from Bangladesh including the critically acclaimed film ‘Hasina- A Daughter’s Tale’ will be presented at MIFF 2022.
This edition will offer around 400 films that have reached the festival from across the world. Out of these, 102 films will be screened under the competition category, 35 in international competition and 67 in national competition.
