SHILLONG: A documentary on rat-hole mining in Jaintia Hills will be among the 19 movies to be screened at NEHU auditorium in the city.
‘Fireflies in the Abyss’, an award-winning documentary directed by Chandrashekhar Reddy, tells the story of an 11-year-old boy, Suraj, born to Nepali immigrants. Suraj works in a rat-hole mining, which was rampant in the State till the National Green Tribunal banned it, risking his life and dreams of coming out of the hell one day. The film gives an insight into the life of the minor workers in these pits.
“It is about how men and boys armed with pickaxe and a torch risked their lives,” said Sumay Mukherjee, senior branch manager of Films Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, at a press conference on Monday.
Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF) will screen 19 award-winning films from March 1 to 3 at NEHU auditorium of the Old guest house to inspire budding film makers.
MIFF aims to bolster talented filmmakers of Meghalaya and inspire them to come out with documentary films and animations.
Mukherjee said the festival also aims at expanding the horizon of knowledge of the students of NEHU. This is the first time that MIFF has organised the event in Shillong.
