Palace auditorium packed on third day of Golden Jubilee Celebration of Manipuri cinema

Imphal, Apr 11 : The palace auditorium of Manipur State Film Development Society (MSFDS) was packed on Sunday as hundreds of people turned up to watch the films that are being screened as part of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of Manipuri Cinema.
The screening of the third day was opened with ‘Look At The Sky’ by Ashok Veilou. Screenings and interactions continued till the evening. 'I Rise' by Borun Thokchom, ‘Noong Amadi Yerum’ by Romi Meitei, Sanakeithel by MA Singh and Lammei by Oken Amakcham and O Gautam were also exhibited to the public.  
The visitors were spellbound with the inspiring story of Manipuri boxer L Sarita shown in the 52 minutes long documentary film 'I Rise' by Borun Thokchom.
Sarita and her husband Ch Thoiba along with the director took part in the post-screening interaction session moderated by Oinam Doren.
The film was shot throughout a span of five years, Borun said that a challenge for every documentary filmmaker is establishing good attachment with the character and that it takes time.
To make the shots natural, the characters should feel comfortable in front of the camera. We even visited without camera on several occasions to strengthen the relationship with characters, he stated.
Borun also acknowledged that collective efforts of the whole film team made the film possible.  
Sarita, who became a celebrated sports star of international fame by overcoming all odds, and her husband also shared their experiences with the film. The couple also narrated their heart warming stories during the interaction.
Meanwhile, the Cine Dialogue in the morning featured a conversation between renowned self-taught filmmaker Rima Das from Assam and documentary filmmaker Bobo Khuraijam of Manipur.  Responding to a query by Bobo, Rima Das said, "Our characters are a reflection of self. It is difficult to completely separate self from the characters. Sometimes, I feel like I am making the same films again and again."
When asked about detaching from the characters one has created, she said that everyone has their own social and political opinions pertaining to the different backgrounds people grew up in.
"I sometimes put my opinion through the characters’ dialogue. But they can be separated by studying the background of the character. This way, we can portray the character with authenticity," she stated adding that she is very careful with dialogues.  Talking about avenues of production, Rima exhorted upcoming filmmakers to try the co-production market if they have a limited budget. She encouraged them to keep trying with the limited resources and by tying up with like minded people.