‘Andro Dreams’, a Manipuri language film will be the opening non-feature film of the Indian Panorama 2023 at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
Altogether 25 feature films and 20 non-feature films will be showcased at the 54th IFFI to be held from November 20 to 28.
Meena Longjam’s documentary ‘Andro Dreams’ portrays the journey of an all-girls football club from Andro, a remote area in Imphal East district in Manipur. The film has been honoured with the ‘Best Documentary’ Award at the 8th edition of the Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai recently.
Meena described ‘Andro Dreams’ as the love story of Laibi, an elderly woman with a strong spirit, and her three-decade-old all-girls football club’s struggle against economic hardships, a patriarchal system, and orthodoxy in Andro, an ancient village in northeast India.
‘Andro Dreams’ portrays the challenges faced by two courageous protagonists: Laibi, who, in her sixties, manages a football club known as Andro Mahila Mandal Association Football Club (AMMA-FC), and her most promising young football player, Nirmala.
“It’s a very emotional moment for me. We have been through troubled times. This will bring some positive news for my state. Also, the subject and the characters are close to me. I’m thankful to everyone who has been helpful in the journey,” Meena told The News Mill.
She also thanked the co-producer Jani Viswanath for trusting her work and coming on board to complete the project.
Jani Viswanath, who shares a close bond with Meena said: “The film was never made with either the intention or the expectation of awards. It is a work of sincere passion. We just wanted to show the exceptional strength of one woman against all odds.”
“The film is about hope and resilience emerging stronger than the challenges and curveballs that life keeps throwing at each one of us, and no matter what age or where we come from turning these shortcomings into opportunities and pursuing them diligently is the only way to achieve our dreams.”
Other Northeast films:
Several other films from the Northeast have been selected to be screened in the feature and non-feature sections of the Indian Panorama, the flagship component of the IFFI.
In the feature section, only one film from the Northeast has been selected. It’s ‘Mirbeen’, a Karbi language film directed by Mridul Gupta.
The non-feature films from the Northeast are – ‘Andro Dreams’ (Manipuri) by Meena Longjam, ‘Baruar Xongxar’ (Assamese) by Utpal Borpujari, ‘Kathabor’ (Assamese) by Keshar Jyoti Das, ‘Lachit’ (The Warrior) (Assamese) by Parthasarathi Mahanta, ‘Last Meet’ (Manipuri) by Waribam Dorendra Singh and ‘Mau: The Spirit Dreams Of Cheraw’ (Mizo) by Shilpika Bordoloi.
