For the first time, Delhi will witness a Festival of Manipuri Cinema, Nongpokthong: Visages from the East, from 9-13 March, 2011.

The festival is organized by Manipur Film Development Corporation (MFDC) under the Department of Arts and Culture, Government of Manipur, in partnership with Manipur Cultural Society (MCS), Delhi; North East Studies Research Centre (NESRC), Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi); Centre for North Eas...t Studies (CNES), Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi and four colleges of Delhi University (Lady Shri Ram College, Daulat Ram College, Dayal Singh College and Indraprastha College).

Nongpokthong (Eastern Gate), the five days long festival, will showcase more than 40 films, both feature and non-feature, from Manipur. From Matamgi Manipur (the First Feature Film in Manipuri) to the internationally acclaimed Imaagi Ningthem, the Festival will feature award winning films as well as old classics. It will also showcase films that belong to the ‘digital revolution’ for which Manipuri cinema has come to be the vanguard in the history of cinema in India. The festival brings films made in languages and dialects spoken by cognate communities who inhabit the green valley and undulating hills of Manipur.

The Festival is not only an occasion that showcases the Manipuri cinema to a larger audience but also an opportunity to acquaint Manipur, her people, their rich culture and pertinent issues that confront the state. It shall bring visages of the life and times of Manipur to cine enthusiasts and people in Delhi, both Indians and foreigners, and the youths in general. It seeks to foster understanding, particularly amongst those from outside the state and the North East Region, about Manipur and her people and also bring ‘home’ closer to the Diasporas from the state here in Delhi and nearby places.

The Festival, which shall be attended by well known film personalities and popular cine artists from Manipur, offers a platform for interaction amongst the film-makers, critics, scholars and cine lovers from the state and elsewhere. Beside the panel discussions and lectures on cinema and their socio-cultural and political moorings, the Festival also offers an opportunity to the visitors to taste the traditional delicacies and also buy books and copies of music and films (CDs & DVDs) as well as handloom and handicraft items from the state. And with the cultural programmes (dance and music) in the evenings of the five days bonanza, the Festival brings glimpses of the rich cultural traditions of this ‘little paradise’ which is located at the cusp between South Asia and South East Asia. As Delhi plays host to the first festival of films from Manipur, a state which is known for its world renowned Manipuri Dance, theatre and sporting achievements, NONGPOKTHONG: VISAGES FROM THE EAST shall open the “Eastern Gate” to bring the ‘look east’ experience here in Delhi.

While the Festival opens at Siri Fort Auditorium, New Delhi, on 9th March 2011, the concluding ceremony shall be at Jawaharlal Nehru University where the Festival shall be hosted from 10th March till 13th March 2011. As one of the major sites of the Festival, Jamia Millia Islamia shall also host the screenings and panel discussion/lecture from 10th March till 12th March, 2011. A select group of colleges of Delhi University shall also host the Festival on specific days during the Festival.