Cannes row: Dominic likely to represent state

SHILLONG, May 9: Post the controversy on the two names who will represent Meghalaya in the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, Information and Public Relations Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh held a meeting with stakeholder departments including the Arts and Culture and Tourism departments to take stock of the situation surrounding the nomination of Commander Shangpliang and Nicholas Lemtor Kharkongor to attend the festival.
In the meeting, which was attended by officers from the concerned departments, it was decided that for future opportunities and international or national film festivals or events, there would be a selection committee chaired by the Chief Secretary that would “select the persons who would attend by merit with discussion and participation of all three stakeholder departments as members of the committee and by their mutual consent and decision.”
The meeting suggested, after going through the nominations of Pradip Kurbah and Dominic Sangma, that Dominic Sangma may be selected and his name be recommended to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to attend the Cannes Film Festival as there are reports that Nicholas Lemtor Kharkongor may have withdrawn his participation from the event.
It was also reiterated that while departments of the state government wrote separately for the film festival nominating film personalities of the state, the choice was eventually made by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry, which it is free to do so being a ministry.
However, the IPR department is taking up the matter for substitution with the Information and Broadcasting Ministry subject to their guidelines and processes, according to a an official statement.