Govt addresses needs of state’s filmmakers

SHILLONG, May 22: In a bid to promote filmmakers of the state and filmmaking as a career, the Commissioner and Secretary to the Information and Public Relations Department, Vijay Kumar Mantri, convened a meeting with prominent filmmakers of the state on Wednesday.
The filmmakers who were part of the meeting voiced their concerns, which the I&PR department will include in a draft film policy that will address the issues faced by the filmmakers of the state.
Some of the filmmakers who were part of the meeting included Dominic Sangma, Pradip Kurbah, Commander Shangpliang, Section Syiemlieh, Simi Khongthiang, among others.
Simi Khongthiang, known for her award-winning movie Ka Chithi, following the meeting, told The Shillong Times, “We as filmmakers did voice out a lot of our concerns.”
Khongthiang, who is the president of Fraternity Art Cine Entertainment (FACES), added, “The first problem we need to solve is to figure out that filmmaking comes under which department. We are not very clear about it.”
Adding that there is always confusion between the Arts and Culture department and the I&PR department, she mentioned, “Sometimes when we want to talk about festivals, we are told to go to the Tourism department, sometimes to the Arts and Culture department.”
“This needs to be cleared and brought under one umbrella,” she mentioned.
It may be mentioned that last year, the draft policy prepared by the Meghalaya Filmmakers’ Association, which was being studied by the state government, was alleged to be very Khasi and Jaintia Hills oriented.
The meeting aimed to address the needs and challenges of filmmakers.
The policy is expected to facilitate film distribution at various levels and promote film culture among citizens.
The Commissioner and Secretary encouraged filmmakers to unite under one association to access government schemes easily. Additionally, a Single Window Agency will be set up to simplify administrative processes. Efforts will be made to promote local films via theaters, an OTT platform, and film tourism initiatives.
There were also discussions on film tourism and employment generation for the youth.