The Cinema of Manipur is the film industry based in Manipur, India. It includes not only Meitei language movies but all the films made in different languages of the different communities in Manipur. The Manipuri film industry was born when Matamgi Manipur by Debkumar Bose was released on 9 April 1972.[1] From Aribam Syam Sharma's Paokhum Ama, the first colour Manipuri film (1983), M.A Singh's Langlen Thadoi, the first full-length colour Manipuri film (1984), Oken Amakcham's Lammei, the first Manipuri digital film (2002),[2] to Priyakanta Laishram's Oneness (film), the first Manipuri gay-themed film (2024),[3] Manipuri cinema, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2022,[4] has grown in both its form and culture.[5]
| Cinema of Manipur | |
|---|---|
| No. of screens | approx. 80 screens in Manipur |
| Produced feature films | |
| Total | 80-100 films per annum |
As the production of video films gained momentum, the Manipuri film industry expanded and around 80 to 100 films were made each year, becoming the largest film industry in North East India by number of films produced per year.[6] In recent years, there has been a decline in production.[7]
Prior to Matamgee Manipur, there were several attempts made to make a film in the state, the most significant being Mainu Pemcha in 1948, which was left incomplete.[8] The tradition of documentary filmmaking in Manipur was said to have been pioneered by the late Maharaj Kumar Priya Brata Singh who shot "actuality movies" with his 8 mm camera in 1936.[9]
Aribam Syam Sharma's Ishanou which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival was the only Indian film to be considered under Cannes Classic section at the Cannes Film Festival 2023.[10]
As of 2023, Ishanou, Oneness (film) and Eikhoigi Yum are listed as the top 3 Manipuri films on IMDb.[11]
- ^ Rajkumar Sanatomba Singh (21 April 2022). "50 years of Manipuri Cinema 1972-2022". eSamskriti.
- ^ "Celebrating Fifty Years of Manipuri Cinema". Government of India. 13 April 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Manipur's First Gay-Themed Movie – "Oneness" Project Gender Sensitivity Issues; Normalizing Queer Representations". Northeast Today. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "50 years of Manipuri Cinema 1972-2022". eSamskriti. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
- ^ "Manipur's culture takes centre stage with Aribam Syam Sharma's 'Ishanou' at 76th Cannes Film Festival". Money Control. 19 May 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "From Manipur, stories of the women actors who didn't get to play Mary Kom". The Indian Express. 17 August 2014.
- ^ "Cinema is slowly dying in Manipur". The Hindu. 17 November 2018. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Rising against all odds". The Hindu. 23 February 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ Bobby Wahengbam. "Manipuri Cinema, a World within World Cinema". E-pao. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ "Aribam Syam Sharma's Restored Indian Masterpiece 'Ishanou' Set for Cannes Classics Debu". Variety. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 22 August 2023.
- ^ "Ishanou, Oneness, and Eikhoigi Yum become IMDb's top 3 Manipuri movies". East Mojo. 22 August 2023. Retrieved 23 August 2023.
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