The films from North East India that found places in MIFF brightened this zone and significantly impacted the National landscape, inspiring a hopeful future for Indian cinema. The IDPA award for the Best Student Film at MIFF was awarded to ‘Chanchisoa (Expectation),’ a Garo film directed by Elvachisa Ch Sangma and Dipankar Das. The award includes a trophy and a cash prize of Rs. 1 lakh.
The other films from this region are ’Birubala witch to Padmasri’ by Aimee Baruah, ‘Sibuk’ by Asutosh Kashyap, ‘Fehujali’ by Dr Partha Sarathu Mahanta, ‘Cycle of Eternity’ by Souradeep Dutta, ‘Challenge’ by Sibanu Bora and Ramen Bora, ‘River still Flows’ by Dip Bhuyan, and ‘Caretaker’ by Biswajit Das. Shilpika Bardaloi’s ‘Sakyad: The Ecological Body’ featured in the student film section.
The North East Indian film industry was not just a participant at MIFF, it was also a key player. Meghachandra Konbam, a renowned film critic from Manipur, and Bobby Sarma Baruah from Assam were part of the esteemed jury board. Ronel Haobam from Manipur was in the selection committee of the International Competition. Filmmaker Prerona Borbora, film critic Utpal Datta, and singer-actor Queen Hazarikaa too took part in the panel discussions.