The 45th International Film Festival of India is focusing on North east cinema. IFFI initiated a special section on the cinemas of the North east of India in its last edition. A special section ‘A view from the North –East’ this year is highlighting the films which put the spotlight on women centric stories. As in real life in north–east, women power is reflected in the screen too. These few cinematic samples from this multi- ethnic region provide a glimpse to this fact.
Padum Barua’s Ganga Chilanir Pakhi(1976), based on Sahitya Akademi award winning author Laxminandan Borah’s eponymous novel and considered as classic of Assamese cinema can be seen during the festival. Other films in this section include Aribam Syam Sharma’s Sanabi, Dr Santawana Bordoloi’s Adajya(winner of special jury award at IFFI 1997), Oinam Gautam Singh’s Phijigee Mani, Pulinthanath’s Mathia, Bhabendranath Saikia’s Abarton and Manju Borah’s Akashitorar Kathare. These are only a few samples of a large number of films about women made over the years. Some other examples can be seen in the retrospective of Jahnu Barua’s films in this edition of IFFI as well as Pradip Kurbah’s Khasi film Ri, which is in the Indian Panorama section.