Borderland Narratives-2025 concludes at RGU
RONO HILLS, 23 Mar: The three-day second edition of ‘Borderland Narratives: Festival of Films from Contemporary Northeast India’ culminated at the RGU campus here on Saturday, with the award ceremony for the short film competition.
The festival brought together filmmakers, film enthusiasts, and cultural aficionados from across the Northeast, and
witnessed an array of thought-provoking feature, documentary and short films that highlighted the rich tapestry of stories, experiences, and cultures of the region.
In his closing remarks, RGU Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof SK Nayak called for the festival to be “scaled up and also held at New Delhi, so that a larger audience could experience films from the region and extended his support in mobilising funds.”
Congratulating the mass communication department and the Arunachal Institute of Tribal Studies of the RGU for spearheading the festival, he also acknowledged the Centre for Cultural Research and Documentation and the Research Institute of World’s Ancient Traditions, Cultures and Heritage, Roing for their collaborative inputs. He commended the visiting filmmakers for their dedication in fostering storytelling and developing a rich film culture.
Earlier in the festival, participants witnessed an interactive masterclass on editing by national award-winning editor Sanjiv Monga, on screenplay writing by Alka Singh, associate professor at the Film and Television Institute, Jote, and on funding for independent film, conducted by Alexander Leo Pou, director of the Manipur State Film and Television Institute, Imphal, who encouraged young filmmakers to start with simple resources like mobilephones and begin storytelling with relatable elements like Arunachal’s mountains and rising sun. He also stressed the importance of a well-developed screenplay, script duration, potential actors, and creating a portfolio for investors, and recommended including images, audio, and visuals to enhance project presentations, and highlighted that the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) “is a good source of support.”
A highlight of the concluding day was a panel discussion on networking and synergy of filmmakers from the region. Moderated by festival director Moji Riba, it had filmmaker representatives from eight states of the region as panellists,who engaged in a discussion on the diverse challenges and opportunities surrounding filmmaking and cinema in the Northeast.
The conversation explored key issues, such as financial constraints, limited distribution networks, lack of institutional support, and the dominance of mainstream languages that often overshadow regional and tribal cinema. At the same time, the panel highlighted emerging opportunities, including digital platforms, community-driven initiatives, film festivals, and called for a collaborative network to share regional narratives and strengthen the region’s cinematic landscape.
The panel also appealed to all state governments of the region to formulate comprehensive film policies to support regional cinema.
Dr Sunil Koijam, festival co-director in his festival report informed the audience that a total of 29 films were screened during the festival, along with four industry sessions, and saw the presence of 35 filmmakers from across the country, which included internationally acclaimed filmmakers Pradip Kurbah (Meghalaya), Dominic Sangma (Meghalaya), Haobam Pawan Kumar (Manipur) and Utpal Borpujari (Assam).
Introducing the festival’s closing film, he said that the festival was not just an event – “it was a celebration of art, culture, storytelling, and the power of cinema to unite us all and inspire each other.”
In the short film competition, on the theme ‘Vanishing roots: Art, culture and folklore’, Eta Laidhibi by H Chinglemba Meitei won the best film award of Rs 50,000 and a trophy for his empathetic rendition of a Meitei traditional doll maker’s journey as she breathes life in her dolls, that are slowly getting buried under the sands of time. The jury, comprising filmmakers Dr Bappa Ray and Yapangaro Longkumerand Bobo Khuraijam, also commended Tune of Love by Dr Indrakumar Moirangtham with a jury mention.
Festival director Prof Simon John in his closing remarks emphasised on the power of filmmaking as a tool for documentation and cultural preservation. He extended his gratitude to the invited filmmakers from the region for their participation and reaffirmed the need to nurture and promote Northeast India’s cinematic landscape.
The three-day festival, supported by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh and the NFDC, closed with a soulful performance by internationally acclaimed folk-fusion artist David Angu, whose melodies reverberated with the same spirit of the power of narratives of the Northeast region.
