Manipur suffered a lot in the last few months.
However, from the State’s film industry comes a positive news. Critically
acclaimed Manipuri filmmaker Dr Meena Longjam’s documentary Andro Dreams has
won the Best Documentary award at the 8th edition of the Jagran Film Festival
in Mumbai.
Dr Meena, a PhD holder in mass communication, received
the prestigious award for the documentary, which portrays the journey of an
all-girls football club from Andro, a remote area in Imphal East district.
The documentary, edited by Sankhajit Biswas, is about
the struggles of two valiant protagonists – that of Laibi, who is in her 60s
and runs a football club AMMA FC, and her most promising young football player
Nirmala.
In her career, Meena has won numerous awards,
including a 2015 win for the documentary film Auto driver, which portrayed the
struggles of Imphal’s first female auto rickshaw driver.
Her films are focused on women empowerment. Besides, she
writes on women’s issues, the impact of social media, folktales, and proverbs
of the Meitei people of the plains and her work has been published in
international academic journals, newspapers, comics and books.
If Andro Dreams presents the struggles of all-girls football
club owner Laibi, her second documentary Achoubi in Love documents her
protagonist Achoubi’s fight to save the indigenous Meitei Saigol ponies that
gave rise to the sport of polo.
Andro Dreams was selected at the IDS-FFK Festival,
Kerala, the Korean International Ethnographic Film Festival, Festival international
de cine de Fusagasuga’ 2023. Achoubi in Love has travelled to 30 plus national
and international film festivals.
Meena Longjam, currently an Assistant Professor at the
Manipur University of Culture, heading the Department of Culture Studies, herself
has faced great risks to her life during the last few months amid violence in her State. The final cut of the film was edited amid the violence.
Reacting to the win and situation, Meena Longjam said,
“Now more than before – there is a need for all of us to stand united; a need
for peace, reconciliation. I hope my film on the dreams of these football
players from Manipur will resonate with our national audience. We hope this
tale of young girls dreaming big will bring back the spirit of solidarity and
sportsmanship; that it will bring back the peace the State so desperately
needs; that we can unite as we play for team India.”
Expressing her happiness, co producer Jani Viswanath remarked,
“This is well deserved. Last year, I went to Manipur to meet the founder of the
AMMA FC football club in person – Laibi. She’s so strong. I love her spirit;
her courage in running this club against all odds.”
Two other Manipuri film makers – Mayanglambam Romi
Meitei and Saikhom Ratan – will also receive awards at the 69th National Film
Awards ceremony.
NE Watch Desk
