'Producers need to understand the craft of cinema'

Imphal, April 16 2021

Cine Dialogue on Future of Manipuri Cinema on April 16 2021

Producers need to understand the craft of cinema, says NFDC facilitation officer from Manipur Alexender Leo Pou

Facilitation officer (Eastern Region) of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) Alexender Leo Pou from Manipur has stressed on the importance for producers to know the craft of cinema so that he/she can choose the right script, director or the crew.

His acclaimed non-fiction film My Grandpa’s Home was screened on the sixth day of the ongoing golden jubilee celebration of Manipuri cinema being held at MSFDS here.

In a post-screening interaction, Alexender who also completed film schooling in production from the prestigious Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) in 2014, said “producers should be the first to enter and the last to leave the boat.”

He said that a serious producer is not going to throw the money blindly. He/She will do research and study the script and find crew which will be most suited for the script by going through their earlier works, Alexender added.

When asked about the prospects of Manipuri cinema considering the present trend where most producers are not well trained in the field of cinema, the NFDC facilitation officer maintained that Manipur needs to be at par with the rest of the world in terms of filmmaking if the state is to sustain its cinema.

No doubt, we are seeing great works from the Northeast but we need experienced hand and professionalism as well as respect or professionalism, he added.

Talking about the avenues given by NFDC for production, he said that there are screenlabs and all where experts study the script and consider for financing it.

Earlier during the day, a Cine Dialogue on ‘Emerging Story-scape: Challenges of North East’ was held during which filmmakers Oinam Doren of Manipur, Kivini Shohe of Nagaland, Yapang Naro Longkumer of Nagaland and Alexender Leo Pou spoke as resource persons. The dialogue was moderated by filmmaker Bobo Khuraijam.

After the Cine Dialogue, Auto Driver by Meena Longjam, The Other by Yapang Naro Longkumer from Nagaland, Dhokbu - The Keeper by Dawa Lepcha from Sikkim and Thabaton by Bijgupta Laishram were also screened.

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Golden Jubilee Celebration of Manipuri Cinema