Filmmaker Meena Longjam’s documentary ‘Andro Dreams’, which portrays the journey of an all-girls football club from Andro, a remote area in Imphal East district in Manipur, has been honoured with the ‘Best Documentary’ Award at the 8th edition of the Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai.
Reflecting on her achievement, 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.
Meena added ‘Andro Dreams’ is currently being showcased at various domestic and international film festivals, having been selected at the IDS-FFK Festival in Kerala, the Korean International Ethnographic Film Festival, and the Festival Internacional de Cine de Fusagasuga 2023.
The film’s co-producer, Jani Viswanath, expressed her pride and happiness over the win, stating that it is well-deserved. She shared her admiration for Laibi, the founder of the AMMA FC football club, whom she met in Manipur and praised for her strength and determination in running the club against all odds.
Sunzu Bachaspatimayum, the secretary of the Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS), commended Meena Longjam and her entire crew for their remarkable achievement, which comes at a time when Manipur is grappling with the aftermath of ethnic conflicts that began on May 3.
This recognition comes just a couple of days before the 69th National Film Awards ceremony in Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, where Manipuri filmmakers Mayanglambam Romi Meitei and Saikhom Ratan will be receiving awards for their films ‘Eikhoigi Yum’ (Our House) and ‘Beyond Blast’, respectively.
Over the course of her decade-long career as a filmmaker, Meena has earned numerous awards, with one of the most notable being in 2015 for her documentary ‘Auto Driver’, which shed light on the challenges faced by Imphal’s first female auto rickshaw driver.
Her films have consistently focused on women’s empowerment, with her second documentary, ‘Achoubi in Love’, having been featured in over 30 national and international film festivals. This film documents the protagonist Achoubi’s efforts to protect the indigenous Manipuri ponies, which played a crucial role in the sport of polo.
Meena Longjam is presently working as an assistant professor at the Manipur University of Culture, where she heads the Department of Culture Studies. In addition to her filmmaking, she is a prolific writer, contributing articles on women’s issues, the impact of social media, Meitei people’s folktales and proverbs, which have been published in international academic journals and various publications. Her work has also been referenced in books such as ‘Media in Manipur’ and ‘Knowing Manipur from the Endogenous Perspective’.
