Two documentary films from the Northeast, one from Manipur and another from Assam, have been chosen as part of the prestigious Indian Panorama Official Selection for the 53rd International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2022.

The international film festival is slated to be held from 20 to 28 November in Goa.

The Indian Panorama, a flagship component of the IFFI, selects feature and non-feature films of cinematic, thematic and aesthetic excellence in accordance with the conditions and procedure in the said regulations of Indian Panorama.

The Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Government of India, made the announcement of the Indian Panorama Official Selection for this year’s IFFI.

Kannada feature film Hadinelentu will open the Indian Feature Film section while English language documentary The Show Must Go On is the opening film of the non-feature film.

The selection of the Indian Panorama is done by eminent personalities of cinema from across India with 12 jury members for feature films and six for non-feature films led by the respective chairpersons.

Out of 242 non-feature films that had competed for the national selection, only 20 made it to the list. From northeast India, only two made the cut – Saikhom Ratan’s Beyond Blast (Manipur) and Kripal Kalita’s Hatibondhu (Assam).

In the feature film section, 354 feature films vied for the selection and only 25 made it to the official selection.

Beyond Blast is directed by Saikhom Ratan, an award-winning freelance video journalist and a well-known Manipuri cinematographer and filmmaker, having shot many award-winning films.

Saikhom Ratan, director of Beyond Blast.

The biographical documentary is produced by Konjengbam Sushila Leima, a prolific writer and film producer. Beyond Blast is her second film that has made it to the Indian Panorama Official Selection. Her other work, Eigi Kona, a Manipuri feature film, made the cut at the 52nd IFFI, 2021.

The Indian Panorama was introduced in 1978 as part of the IFFI umbrella to promote Indian films along with India’s rich culture and heritage with the help of cinematic art. Since its inception, the Indian Panorama has been completely devoted to showcasing the best Indian films of the year.

The selected films for Indian Panorama will also be screened for non-profit screening in international film festivals in India and abroad, Indian film weeks held under Bilateral Cultural Exchange Programmes and specialized Indian film festivals outside cultural exchange protocols and special Indian Pan