Manipur on 56th IFFI list after a year of hiatus
Documentary by Borun Thokchom and feature film by Dinesh Naorem selected
Imphal, Nov 7 (NNN): The Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) has announced on Friday that after a disappointing absence at the 55th Indian Panorama 2024, Manipur has made a triumphant comeback at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025, with two films selected in both the feature and non-feature categories — a moment of pride for Manipuri cinema and its national stature.
Manipuri filmmaker Borun Thokchom’s feature-length documentary Battlefield — an 80-minute exploration of the untold stories of the Second World War’s Imphal battle — has been officially selected in the non-feature section, while debutant filmmaker Dinesh Naorem’s 102-minute feature film Oitharei (“Save My Soul”) has secured a spot in the feature section, the MSFDS said.
Thokchom is an alumnus of St Anthony’s College in Shillong.
This marks a significant milestone for Manipuri cinema, it said. Andro Dreams was the last Manipuri documentary to enter the Indian Panorama in 2023, while Oitharei breaks a seven-year dry spell for Manipuri feature films — the last being Eigi Kona (Stallone, My Pony), directed by Maipaksana Haorongbam and Bobby Wahengbam in 2019.
Praising the filmmakers, Sunzu, the secretary of MSFDS said, “This is indeed a moment of celebration. The achievements of Borun Thokchom and Dinesh Naorem reaffirm that Manipuri cinema continues to stand tall — resilient and creative — despite the challenges. They have restored the faith that our stories, rooted in truth and courage, will always find their place on the global stage, and there is no dearth of conscious storytellers.”
Significantly, Battlefield was incubated and developed at MSFDS’ “Imphal Documentor”, a five-day documentary project development lab jointly organised with the Documentary Resource Initiative (DRI), Kolkata, in 2022. Recognising the importance of structured mentorship and incubation for both documentary and fiction feature projects, MSFDS has been consistently nurturing emerging voices through its development programmes. The Society remains hopeful that these initiatives will continue to yield more outstanding films from Manipur, as several promising documentary and fiction projects have already taken shape through its incubation efforts, it also said.
Battlefield — shot over 10 years — is an evocative documentation of the WWII battlefields of Manipur, featuring war researcher Rajeshwor Yumnam. It powerfully captures the enduring impact of the war on human lives and juxtaposes global commemoration of war heroes with the silence surrounding contemporary humanitarian suffering in Manipur. Produced by Manjoy Lourembam, Dr. Radhesyam Oinam of Network Services Imphal, and Viswamithra Universals, Battlefield will have its world premiere at the 56th IFFI, scheduled from November 20-28 in Goa.
