Efforts should continue at the national level to promote and take North East cinema across the country to dispel misgivings and misinformation prevailing about the region in the different parts of the country, said national award winner filmmaker Jahnu Barua on Sunday.
Mr. Barua was speaking at the inauguration of North East cinema: Tales of women, and a programme to pay homage to Sher Choudhury, music director from N-E at a special section at the 45th International Film Festival of India(IFFI) here on Sunday.
Navazara Sultana Choudhury, sister-in-law of the late music director was present at the function.
A film, The Flight , with music by late Choudhury was screened.
“N-E Cinema is Indian cinema and it can dispel all kinds of misunderstandings about the people of North East,” said Mr. Barua.
Saying that he was happy to see that earlier complaints that N-E needs more focus are being redressed at the IFFI, he said that there is a lot of talent in north East , but the people are shy to come forward. He urged Directorate of Film Festival to make special efforts to get this young talent, especially among women, to come forward.
Mr. Barua later told The Hindu that there are a lot of support schemes for cinema in N-E cinema, even State governments have been supportive, however, it is not in an organised form as yet.
Utpal Bopujari, who curated the section on N-E films also agreed with Mr. Barua and emphasized on need to use N-E cinema as a vehicle to remove gap of information and understanding among other parts of the country about the people of the region.
Paying homage to the late Sher Choudhury, Mr. Barua said that he was a music legend, but quiet and very shy person. And because he was from North East, perhaps he could not come up in the way should have, said the Assamese filmmaker.
Festival Director Shankar Mohan intervened to say that for last three years, the DFF has been making special efforts to have very successful N-E cinema festivals across the country, apart from in N-E States. “Indian Panorama has been giving a lot of exposure to N-E cinema for last several years”, he noted.
A package of eight films is being screened in the section apart from a Retrospective of films of Jahnu Barua with seven films at the on-going IFFI.