Government committed to promote films from North East: Shri Bimal Julka

Dr. Prakash Baba Amte: the Real Hero - the opening film at Indian Panorama Film Festival at Shillong

The third edition of the Indian Panorama Film Festival was inaugurated today at U Soso Tham auditorium in Meghalaya Capital Shillong with the screening of the award winning Marathi film “Dr. Prakash Baba Amte: the Real Hero” directed by Ms. Samruddhi Porey. A host of film personalities including prominent film Director Anjan Dutt were present at the inaugural ceremony which was graced by Chief Minister of Meghalaya Dr. Mukul Sangma, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Shri Bimal Julka, and Information and Public Relations Minister of Meghalaya, Shri A. L. Hek. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Bimal Julka, Secretary, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, said that the Ministry has been focusing on showcasing films from the North East to encourage production of films in the region. Shri Julka said a North East Film Festival was held in New Delhi recently which attracted a large audience. Emphasizing on the popularity of North Eastern films, Shri Julka said that there has been a separate section on North Eastern films in the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) Goa. It gave a unique opportunity to showcase these films to film enthusiasts and film makers from India and abroad. He also said that the forthcoming International Film Festival of India (IFFI) will have a special section on the North East to expose the feature and non-feature films made in Meghalaya. Appreciating film production by young film makers from the North East, Shri Julka said that numerous short non feature films from the North East, have received National Awards. In order to further encourage this talent, the Films Division of the Ministry of I&B has implemented a special component under a Plan Scheme for production of short films from the North East. Speaking further on the development of films during the last five years, he said the Films Division has commissioned 54 films from the North East. Shri Julka also said that in the period 2014-2015, a week-long film making workshop was also organized in Aizawl in Mizoram and another workshop is currently being conducted in Silchar in Assam. In this endeavour, the Films Division plans to conduct four such film making workshops every year in the North East, to familiarize film makers from these states with the latest technology in film making. Courtesy: pib.nic.in